One Step At A Time
by RefuseToSink82
Summary: Forced to move to Arkansas, Dougie Poynter has to give up his comfortable life of leisure in California. Although his initial reaction was that life on a dairy farm would be highly intolerable, the hot neighbor boy seems to make him change his mind. Warning: violence, drugs, bullying
1. Chapter 1

Although the sun was beaming down on the young Californian, and the waves on the beach were as perfect as ever – not to mention the girls... and guys – the day did nothing to explain how the young boy of sixteen was feeling. Dougie Poynter loved California; everything about it was absolutely perfect for him. The beaches, the warm water, he had great friends, and oh, the parties were fabulous. Yes, California definitely held everything he would ever need; everything he ever had needed. So why, then, would a boy who was so happy where he was, be leaving it all behind? Well, if asked, several words could come out of his mouth, most of which wouldn't be pleasant. But they would all lead down to the same, single word: mum.

Dougie didn't think that sending his mum, Joanne, on a singles cruise would be a bad idea. In fact, he liked the idea of his mum getting out there again and being happy for a change. She did deserve happiness, he thought. She had always been a fair enough mother to him. When she and his father got divorced, he chose to stay with her for that reason. The fact that she got all of his father's money and could buy him his little, sporty, red, Ford Fiesta, was only a small bonus, of course. Not that she really needed to, but she always worked hard, as well, so money was never an issue. So, considering she generally worked fifty to sixty hours a week, why shouldn't she go away for the weekened and try and meet a nice man?

And then she came home with Chris, Dougie wasn't too terribly upset. In fact, he was so happy that his mum had actually managed to stop moping, that when his mother had introduced him to Chris, he actually hugged him. Chris was a little bit taken back at first, but he was rather pleased with the fact that Joanne's son had taken such a liking to him. It didn't take long for the two to bond, and the more Dougie heard of him, the more Dougie approved. Chris had been married once before, almost had a child, but lost it and his wife in child birth, and ever since he'd been single. The second Chris saw Joanne he just knew his problems were over and he could heal.

Everything was all fine. That was, until the one small detail arose that he hadn't taken into account; where the bastard lived. The two had gone the whole fucking weekend without even so much as muttering that Chris lived in Arkansas. Not only did he live in Arkansas, but he owned a farm. And what was worse than that was they actually expected him to move there. To live on a farm. With chickens and cows. A farm was no place for a child to grow up, much less Dougie Poynter.

When they'd told him finally, he just sort of looked at them as if they were crazy. Their conversation went something l_ike this:_

_"Dougie, honey, we have something important to tell you," Joanne started slowly as she approached the breakfast table._

_Dougie looked up at her, placing his glass of fresh squeezed orange juice back on the table. "You two aren't getting hitched already?" he asked with a laugh._

_Chris stood from where he was sitting, putting his arm around her shoulder slowly. "Well, not really..." he started, looking over to Joanne for help._

_"What do you mean, 'not really'?" Dougie asked, looking a bit confused._

_"Well, honey, you see..." Joanne was nervous, that much was obvious. Either his mum was getting married, or she was pregnant or something. "Chris... he's not from around here..."_

_Dougie was silent for a moment, waiting for his mum to continue, although she didn't. He looked at her cautiously, not really liking where this conversation was going. "So... where does he live, then?"_

_Chris opened his mouth, a bit of a nervous smile on his lips. "I own a farm in Arkansas," Chris blurted out._

_Dougie blinked at the two, his mind not making any connections. "Dougie, honey, do you get what we're trying to tell you?" His mother asked, reaching forward and grabbing his hand._

_"No, not really..." Dougie said quietly, slowly pulling his hand from his mother's grasp._

_"Well, Doug, I asked your mother to come live with me..." Chris started, looking from Dougie to Joanne, his smile going from nervous to goofy._

_Joanne looked over to Chris, looking at him the same way he was looking at her. "And I said yes."_

_Dougie's entire face dropped. "You're kidding me, right?!" He yelled, pushing himself up from the table and slamming down on it with both of his hands. Joanne and Chris were silent, tensing up at his sudden show of anger. "Please tell me you're not making me move to Bumfuck, USA!"_

_"Douglas Lee Poynter! Watch your mouth, young man!" Joanne yelled, reaching across and smacking him across the face lightly._

_"Don't fucking hit me!" he yelled, taking a small step back and rubbing his cheek._

_"Where did you learn such vile language?!"_

_"From my father! The one that actually cares about me!"_

_"See why we're leaving?!"_

_"Enlighten me!"_

_"He's a bad influence on you!"_

_"At least he's around to be an influence!"_

_"Go to your room and pack your things! Right now! We're leaving this weekend and there's nothing you can do to stop it!"_

_"Fuck you!" Dougie screamed, right before turning and bolting up the stairs to his room._

_"Don't make me wash your mouth out with soap!" And that was the last Dougie heard before he slammed the door._


	2. Chapter 2

So, needless to say, the conversation didn't go well. Why that woman would just leave her job and her pleasant life in California, to move to a farm, of all places, was completely beyond him. But that didn't change the fact that they were going. No, nothing would change the fact that he was being forced to leave his home, his friends, his LIFE behind. And what would he get as compensation? Cows. He knew there was no fighting it. Because his mom had custody of him, he couldn't stay back in California with his dad, and there was no way he was going to be able to stay there by himself. So, it seemed pretty final that they were going.

"Come on, honey, we're going," his mother called, although he gave her no answer. "Dougie? Did you hear me?" Still, he didn't even turn away from the ass of the fully loaded U-Haul that he would be staring at for about 24 hours straight. "Dougie!"

"What?!" he yelled, spinning around quickly and glaring at her.

"Did you hear me?!"

"YES!"

"Well, a response would be nice!"

Dougie rolled his eyes and muttered, "Whatever," under his breath.

"We're going," she said stiffly, making her way to the front of the U-Haul.

"Whatever," he said a bit louder as he climbed into his small, red, car. "I need some fucking music," he mumbled to himself as he reached over and turned on his stereo. Instantly his ears were filled with blaring music. He started singing along, although the car hadn't even started moving yet. His mother and Chris were still in front of him, for whatever reason still parked. The urge to honk was NOT small, but he suppressed it the best he could.

Slowly but surely, the U-Haul began to move, of course, going way below the speed limit. Luckily for him, he went on a handy website, and printed off his own directions. Oh yes, he would probably arrive there hours before his mother and Chris, but he didn't care. Driving and screaming; that was what he needed. And going 45 miles per hour in a 65 zone was not good for that sort of thing. Dougie leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the wind hitting his face and making his hair move about as much as possible.

"BUMFUCK, HERE I COME!"

***

Dougie was tired. So dead tired that he was having trouble staying awake at the wheel, which was never a hard thing for him to do, even when he was most tired. But the route he'd taken had already taken him through Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and he had been driving through Arkansas for a few hours already. Why he hadn't decided to stop, he didn't really know. He just didn't feel like it. He didn't really see the point in it anymore, anyway, considering it was day time and he was only about a half an hour from his final destination. Sure, his mum and Chris probably wouldn't show up for hours, but that didn't matter. He would make himself comfortable, considering that would be his new home until he graduated highschool.

The closer he got, the more he thought about a bed, a couch, a floor, hell, a bail of hay for all he cared. All he wanted was to go to sleep. And the more he thought about a place to sleep, he only grew more and more tired. But there was probably only about twenty minutes to go, so he kept going. He closed his eyes for a moment, and that was when he heard something that sounded an awful lot like a moo. Sure, he'd never actually heard a cow moo before, but from what he could picture of one, that sure was one.

His eyes shot open, and he was soon met with the sight of a cow running into the small road in front of him. Dougie screamed and turned the wheel to the side, stepping on the brake at the same time. Having been traveling rather fast, he veered off the road, not able to stop in time before his left, front wheel went flying over a fallen log, and sent him and the car spiraling through the air. The car landed in a big crash, crumpling instantly when it hit.

How long Dougie was hanging there, he didn't know. He kept slipping in and out of conciousness, and what felt like hours, was only a matter of minutes before another boy ran out from the bushes, screaming, at first, for his cow. That was until he saw the little, red car lying upside down in the middle of the road. "SHIT!" he yelled, running over to where the car lay in a pile of now smashed junk. He jumped down onto his stomach, ignoring the glass and metal on the ground cutting into his stomach and hands. "HEY! WAKE UP!" he yelled, crawling carefully into the car and touching Dougie's cheek.

Dougie turned to look at him, blood dripping from his eyebrow, down his forehead. "Cow..." he muttered, before falling unconscious.

****

When Dougie woke up next, he was in some place that he didn't recognize, surrounded by people he didn't recognize, and he had unrecognizable pain in every part of his body. "Hey, look! He's waking up!" Dougie cringed at the voice, the sound making his head hurt about ten times worse. "You're alright?" came a male's voice next to him; a very southern male's voice, at that.

"Do I look like I'm fucking alright?" Dougie growled, his voice low and hoarse.

"Hey, there ain't no need to be rude," the male's voice came again.

"I just crashed my fucking car. What the fuck do you expect me to be?" he hissed, bringing a hand up to press against his forehead.

"You sure do talk funny," the voice started with a laugh. Dougie opened his eyes, not quite sure how the subject had changed so quickly. The boy in front of him looked to be about Dougie's age, maybe a bit older, and the dark tan of his skin, and the tone of his arm muscles meant he probably worked outside; probably on a farm. "You ain't from around here, are ya?" the young man continued.

Dougie stared at him for a moment, gawking stupidly at him. "Yes – I mean no.. I mean..." Dougie stopped and scratched his head gently, a bit of a lost expression taking over his face.

"Mum, I don't think he's alright," Tom called to his mother, who was standing in the kitchen cooking... _something_. Whatever it was, and for whatever reason, it was making Dougie feel like he was going to vomit. It wasn't even that it smelled bad, because it did actually smell pretty good, but that certain smell just made him want to lose it.

"Call up the Doctor and get him over here," she instructed, walking to the doorway separating the kitchen and the livingroom, and waving the pan of food around a bit.

"No, no, I'm fine," Dougie said, sitting up quickly. Although, as he did the room began to spin, and he was forced back down again. Pain shot through his head, making him feel like someone was shoving nails into his brain, and he closed his eyes again, trying his best to ignore it.

"You ain't fine!" the boy protested quickly. He placed his large, dirty hand over Dougie's forehead, looking contemplative for a moment. "Mum! He's burnin' up! Look at him!"

"I said call the doctor!"

"No, really, I don't need a doctor," Dougie argued, sitting up again, this time rather slowly.

"Like hell, you don't!" The boy jumped in, pushing Dougie back against the couch.

"I just need to get home!" Dougie tried to sit up again, but the boy was considerably stronger than him, and managed to keep him down. "If you really want to, you can call the fucking doctor from there! But I'm just moving in and I came separately from my mum and this guy, Chris, and– "

"Oh! You're the one's moving in with Chris? Well, I suppose it wouldn't be so bad to take you home," the boy started with a small smile. "'Especially considering your folks don't know where you're at..."

"Oh fuck, they'll probably see my car on the way," Dougie grumbled, sitting up again and leaning his head into his hands.

The boy gave a sympathetic smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Come on, then. I'll get you home." Dougie nodded and stood, swaying a bit as he did. He was pretty sure he'd never felt so dizzy before in his life, and he was also pretty sure that he had a concussion. The boy looked over, noticing him swaggering a bit as he walked behind him. "Hey, you're alright?" the boy asked for what seemed like the millionth time that day. Dougie didn't even have the energy to answer. He just nodded his head and followed behind him.

The two rode in silence as the boy drove Dougie to his new house, the only sound interrupting the silence being the radio, which, of course, was tuned to a local country station. It took about fifteen minutes, but the two eventually arrived at the house Dougie would call home for the next two years of his life. It was bigger than he expected it to be; a large, two story house, fully equipt with a white, picket fence, a large tree in the front yard with a tire swing, and next to the house was a huge, red barn. Then, surrounding it was land. A whole shit load of land. More land than Dougie had ever seen in his life. There were cows, and sheep, and pigs, and horses; the whole nine yards. Dougie stared for a moment from the truck, not quite sure what to do or how to make himself comfortable in such an uncomfortably large place. "You still alive over there?" the boy asked, snapping Dougie out of his sudden trance.

"Oh... yeah, I'm good," Dougie muttered, opening the door and sliding out of the over sided, dirty, white truck.

"Hey," the boy called again, making Dougie turn around, still standing behind the door. "I'm Tom," he said with a smile.

Dougie nodded and held out his hand. "Dougie," was about all he could muster while the boy shook his hand.

"Are you sure you're gonna be alright?"

Dougie opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when he heard his mother screaming from behind him. "Oh my god! My baby! I saw your car on the road and I got so scared!" she yelled, running over to him and smothering him in hugs and kisses. Dougie groaned and closed his eyes, not wanting to be touched by anyone in the slightest. "I thought that a bear had attacked you and dragged you off the road and eaten you!" she continued, during a hysterical mess of sobs and kisses.

Dougie growled again and looked up to Tom, who was watching with confusion. "I'll be fine."


	3. Chapter 3

About a week had gone by in the new house, and Dougie felt trapped already. His mother had practically tied him down to a bed from the moment he got into the house. 'Oh Dougie, you shouldn't be up!' 'Dougie! Shouldn't you be resting?' 'Come on, honey. How do you expect to get better if you don't rest?' Comments like those were what was driving Dougie the most nuts. He would've had no problem resting for a few days until he could at least stand without getting dizzy. Plus, the doctor had ordered that he stay in bed and rest. But it was [i]her [/i]that wouldn't just leave him be. Every five minutes she was coming into his room for [i]something[/i].

Not to mention he was completely surrounded by boxes. Honestly, how he'd ended up with so much junk over the years was beyond him. He didn't even touch over half of the stuff that was in those boxes, and yet he felt the need to keep everything he'd ever owned since the age of four. Some could call him a packrat, but when one looked deeper, it was really nothing more than him desperately trying to keep pieces of the life he once knew; the life he once lived. Sure, he'd only been in the middle of nowhere for a week, but that didn't change the fact that he wasn't at home anymore, going to the beach with some friends.

But there were no beaches in Arkansas. There were no girls in bikinis or boys wandering around shirtless. Well, he couldn't be so sure about the girls in bikinis and shirtless boys, considering he hadn't left his room since that Tom boy had dropped him off. But he did know for a fact that there were no beaches in Arkansas. There were cows, horses, pigs, chickens, and oh lord, there were even sheep and goats. Dougie couldn't forget if he tried, considering the smells of all of those things wandered in his window day in and day out. If living on a farm was so disgustingly smelly, he didn't know why anyone would ever want to do it.

Plus, every morning he was woken up with the sound of a tractor. If he was to look out his window, he could pretty much see Chris outside working at anytime. And not only was he covered in dirt, even in the wee hours of the morning, but he was also covered in sweat. Loads and loads of sweat. It just seemed like so much work to live on a farm, and Chris didn't appear to get very much money from it. So why did he do it? Dougie concluded that he was just a freak who was turned on by the smell of farm animals, soil, and horse shit.

But just because Chris could handle it, it didn't mean that Dougie could. He was crowded, annoyed, and the silence was killing him. Sometimes things were so quiet that even the sound of him breathing bothered him. A dog could be heard barking from literally two miles away, if not more. He needed to do something about this situation before he went insane. All he needed was out of that house. Maybe if he got out and saw a bit of the countryside, he wouldn't be so opposed to staying there. If not... well, he wasn't sure how he would survive the next two years.

So, while his mom was in the kitchen, trying to cook something for breakfast, he snuck out. It wasn't like he wasn't used to doing it; it was something he did quite often, actually. Once he was out the door, he wasn't too worried about being seen. Chris was too busy doing something with some big, ugly, piece of machinery that looked to be rather expensive, to even notice him walk by. As he walked by his car, he realized that he would be walking to wherever it was he was going, rather than driving, as he had intended. He sighed and ran his hand down the side of it, the normally smooth surface left as nothing more than a crumpled piece of junk. "Sorry, baby," he whispered to it, giving it a quick pat as he continued on.

"Dougie!" Dougie turned back to look at the house quickly. He could hear his mom walking up the steps, for god's sake. Silence. The silence would drive him insane. He turned back ahead and ran the rest of the way down the long driveway, making a left onto the adjoining road, and running down it, as well.

He continued to run, not really sure where he was going to end up. He just needed to get away from that house, and now that he had, he never wanted to go back. Plus, he figured if he walked his mum might catch up to him, and then he'd be in for a world of hurt. Either way, he knew he'd be in trouble later for leaving, especially for leaving without telling her, but he didn't care. If he was going to get in trouble, he might as well salvage his sanity before hand.

A dull pain slowly rose in Dougie's side, but still he kept pushing himself further, not wanting to stop, and also not able to. And as that pain changed from a dull pain, to a stabbing pain, he didn't let his feet stop, or even slow. He just kept running. And soon the pain was something of an incentive to go further and harder; the more he hurt the faster he ran, because he knew the faster he ran, the farther away from that place he was. And what a sweet thought that was.

And he ran on for a little bit over an hour, the burning feeling in his legs, sides, and chest egging him on further. But when he finally did stop, he collapsed to the ground in a heap. His chest burned almost more painfully than his sides, and if he didn't already know it was because he was dizzy, he would swear everything around him was spinning. He closed his eyes and rolled over to lay flat on his stomach, turning his face to the side, and resting his cheek against the hard, paved road. Laying down had never felt so good, and yet, so unfulfilling. He still felt like he should be running, but he knew it was impossible.

_I can't... fall asleep... on the road..._he thought sternly, although his mind was still slipping in and out of consciousness. _God damnit, get the fuck up and walk back home! _But still, he didn't move. If anything, he only fell further into sleep the more he tried to convince himself to get up. It wasn't long before he'd completely given into sleep and was curled up on his side in the middle of the road, both hands tucked under his head as a pillow.

The next thing he heard when he awoke was the sound of tires squealing. His eyes shot open and he sat up quickly, coming face to face with the grill of a familiar, white truck as he did. He gasped and jumped back a bit, falling back on his elbows. The door of the truck swung open and Tom jumped out, running quickly to where Dougie was now laying again on the ground. "JESUS!" he screamed as he ran, stopping just in front of him. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING'?! YOU'RE GONNA GET YOURSELF KILLED!"

Dougie stared up at him, wide eyed and confused. "I didn't... mean to..." he muttered quietly as he looked Tom up, starting at his feet, lingering a bit on his obviously worked body, and finally up to his face, which looked worried and angry at the same time.

"Is this your way of thanking me?!" Tom continued, throwing both arms out to the side.

Dougie's look went from lost to sarcastic in record time. "Thanking you for what?" he asked, sitting up a bit more and raising an eyebrow up at Tom.

Tom's eyes widened a bit as he stared down at Dougie rather incredulously. "I SAVED YOUR LIFE!" Tom screamed. Dougie had to admit to being slightly amused by how red his face was getting, and also by the vein that was starting to pop out on his neck.

"It's not like I asked you to," Dougie continued, crossing his legs to sit 'indian style', and leaning back on his arms.

"It doesn't matter if you asked me to or not! What was I supposed ta do?! Leave you there?!"

Dougie shrugged and smirked up at him. For whatever reason he was having fun being an ass to this guy. Maybe he just liked getting a rise out of him. In his opinion, Tom did look pretty cute all huffy and red-faced. "It was my fault for driving like that," he continued cooly.

"DAMN STRAIGHT, IT WAS YOUR FAULT! YOU NEARLY KILLED MY DAMN COW!"

Dougie smirked even more boyishly, letting out a bit of a snicker as he heard Tom's strong accent. God, he loved playing games with people. Sure, many saw him as an ass because of it, but it was just his way of getting a rise out of people, entertaining himself, and getting those people into bed, all at the same time.

Tom's mouth dropped open slightly and he just stared down at Dougie, disbelief and anger seething from every pore on his body. "You think you're so much better than me just 'cause you speak good English," Tom spat, crossing his arms over his chest.

Dougie was slightly enthralled by his muscles and how tan he was, no doubt from working. But he wouldn't let it show. Not when he was playing his game. "Oh, I don't think I'm better than you," he started, leaning back on his arms again. Tom gave him a snide look, begging to differ. "I _know_ I'm better than you."

And Tom's jaw dropped again. "I should have just left you in that damn car and let you die!"

"MAYBE YOU SHOULD'VE!" Dougie screamed suddenly, surprising Tom and making him take a small step back. "THEN I WOULDN'T BE STUCK IN THIS SHITHOLE OF A TOWN!"

And that was all it took to offend Tom even more. "YOU WANNA DIE!?" Tom yelled, stepping forward again.

"IT DOESN'T SOUND TOO BAD RIGHT NOW!" Dougie screamed, leaning forward again.

"FINE!" Tom reached forward and grabbed Dougie by his black shirt, pulling him up to his feet with ease. God, this kid was strong. Had Dougie not been so suddenly scared, he would've been a little turned on. Tom let go of his shirt and walked back to his truck, reaching in and pulling out his 36 rifle. He walked back to Dougie quickly, standing in front of him with it. "Ya wanna kill yourself?" He asked, holding out the gun to him. Dougie just stared at him, not taking the gun, not moving, not even breathing. "Do it then!" he continued, holding it out more for Dougie to take, although he still didn't. "GO ON!" Tom screamed, grabbing Dougie's hand, pulling it forward, and placing the barrel of the gun in it. "DO IT!"

Dougie took the gun, holding it shakily in both hands. This was his first time holding a gun, and honestly, the power of it shook him up more than he thought it would. "I..." he started quietly, moving his eyes with a bit of difficulty from the gun, back to Tom's eyes.

"That's what I thought," he muttered, turning on his heel and walking back to the truck.

Dougie watched in silence as he drove away, revving his engine and making quite a bit of noise as he did. It wasn't until Tom had driven around the corner that he even realized he was still holding the gun in his hand. He screamed and threw the gun to the ground, although it was rather stupid of him, considering it could've triggered it to go off. Once he realized it, he jumped back and prepared himself for a shot, though it was, luckily, never fired. He just stood there, staring down at the gun on the ground, afraid to move as if it would go off and kill him.

After a few more minutes of just watching it, he inched forward slowly. Once he was standing over it, he leaned down slowly, extending his hand down until he touched it. At first, his hand flinched back, but he reached down again and picked it up. He stood fully again, holding the gun in both hands and staring at it. He looked up to the road in the direction he'd seen Tom disappear in, looking for him, although he knew he was long gone. "HEY! YOU FORGOT YOUR GUN!"


	4. Chapter 4

Dougie had walked with that gun in his hand for another hour before he came across another house. This one looked much like the house he now called home, except for that the barn was on the opposite side, and there were no farm animals. But there were fields for miles, and if he wasn't mistaken, he saw a lot of wheat, and a lot of corn. _Is this where he lives?_ he asked in his head, leaning slightly to the side as if trying to see him. When he noticed a white ford truck, he figured either everyone had the same truck in that damn town with a population of about ten, or this was Tom's house. He hoped for the second of the two as he walked down the drive, holding the gun securely in both hands.

Once he got in front of the house, he noticed the door open with the screen door closed, so he walked up the steps and leaned close to the screen door, attempting to find someone inside. "Hello?" he called, looking all around the inside of the house. This was definitely a place he vaguely remembered, so he was even more sure this was Tom's house.

"What do you need?" a woman with a frying pan asked as she stepped into the door way.

Dougie jumped back and gasped quietly, having not even seen her coming. "T...Tom?" he asked, holding the gun forward.

The woman laughed and nodded. "Sorry, hun, didn't mean to scare you," she told him with a warm smile. "Tom's back with the horses," she continued, pointing in the direction of them.

Dougie nodded and muttered a quiet, "Thank you," before turning and walking in the direction she'd pointed him in. As he walked around the house, stables soon came into view, along with a small, oblong shaped area, fenced off by a few feet of wooden stakes. Tom was inside, performing some strange sort of ritual that Dougie couldn't quite understand. He would run at the horse, jump on it, get flipped around a bit, fall off, and do it all over again. Tom had just fallen on the ground again when Dougie got there. "Tom?" he asked carefully, holding the gun a bit tighter.

Tom glared and got up, brushing himself off. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice low and irritated.

Dougie stared down at the gun, his cheeks a bit rosy. "Y-you forgot your gun... and I... I wanted to... apologize for being such a dickhead," he muttered quietly, still not looking up.

Tom was silent as well, shifting nervously on his feet. People didn't generally apologize around that place. They yelled at each other, stormed off, and all was forgotten the next day! Something was definitely weird about this little, punk kid. "I... I guess it's... alright?" he told him, scratching his head and making a rather confused face as he did.

Dougie held the gun for a second more, not quite sure how to let go of it now that he'd been holding it for over an hour. He looked up at Tom finally, not quite sure where to go from there. Apparently conversation with this boy was going to be difficult. He extended his arms, holding the gun out to Tom awkwardly. "Here," he said stiffly.

"Oh... uhhh... thanks," Tom said, reaching forward and grabbing the barrel of the gun with one, large, dirty hand. He held it for a moment, before reaching over the fence and propping it up against it, not having any use for it at the moment, anyway.

The two stood in silence for another minute, neither really knowing what to do or say. Then Dougie looked past Tom for a moment and instead looked at the horse. It was the first horse he'd seen in his entire life – having lived in a city all sixteen years of it – and he had to say it was quite possibly one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen. Her fur was pitch black, along with her mane and tail, and she had some of the most divine, chocolate eyes he had ever seen. "Wow..." he muttered, leaning against the fence.

"What?" Tom asked, taking a small step back to keep the distance between their bodies proper.

Dougie looked back from the horse to Tom, who was giving him a rather questioning look. "She's beautiful," he said, his voice struck with awe.

Tom blinked confusedly at Dougie. Now he really didn't know what to think of him. First he seemed like some rude, punk kid. Then he gave off the feeling of an arrogant, city slicker. Then he surprised Tom by apologizing to him. And now he was looking at a horse like it was Garth Brooks or something! "You mean the horse?" he asked, turning back to look at the horse, who gave him an indignant huff as he did.

Dougie leaned to the side to see around Tom better, his mouth hanging open a bit as he did. "No, I mean you," he said sarcastically. Tom turned around again and raised an eyebrow at him, but lowered it when he realized he was only joking. "Of course I mean the horse... she's the first I've ever seen..." he continued, never taking his eyes from her. She looked so soft, and all he wanted to do was touch her.

Tom straightened up and his eyes widened. "You have never seen a horse?!" he asked with shock.

"I lived on the coast of California my entire life! How was I ever supposed to see a horse?!" Dougie asked, staring up into Tom's deep brown eyes. Okay, so when he observed the horse's eyes to be the most divine chocolate eyes he'd ever seen, he was only joking. The boy standing in front of him appeared to have dull, dark, brown eyes at first glance. But when the sun was shining directly into them and from up close, different shades of brown lit up in them, making his eyes appear to be more of a milky chocolate with golden brown flecks scattered randomly, and yet, purposefully. Oh, and they were SO big and childish. Tom was definitely one of the most attractive boys he had ever seen. But then he noticed something that could prove to be an issue. Tom had taken a step back when Dougie leaned closer. Apparently he's a homophobe... dammit.

Tom noticed Dougie looking at him strangely and took another nervous, small step back. "Yeah well, she's being a bitch to break," Tom continued, hoping to move the conversation along.

Dougie stood straight again, looking at Tom with confusion. "Break?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, you know... train? Make her rideable?"

"They don't just... come that way?"

Tom's face contorted in obvious confusion. He'd never heard someone talk about a horse as if they were some sort of toy that was made at a factory. "Not the wild ones," he told him, taking a small step to the side.

"She's a wild horse?!" Dougie asked, getting a bit excited by the thought.

"Yeah..."

"WOW!" Dougie's entire face lit up, and for the first time since he got there, he could say he wasn't bitter. "Can I touch her?" he asked, leaning forward again on the fence.

"Did you not hear the part about her being a bitch to break?" Tom asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Dougie sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're doing it the wrong way," he said, stepping up onto the first rung of the wooden fence.

"I've been doing this since I was a kid, and you're gonna tell me I've been doing it wrong all these years?"

Dougie climbed the rest of the way over the fence and stood up straight next to Tom, noticing quite a bit of difference in their heights. "No, I'm just going to show you a better way," he concluded with a nod. He walked carefully and slowly through the pen, making sure the horse saw him coming. He didn't have a single clue as to what he was doing, but he knew the way Tom was running and jumping on her was definitely not the best way to go about it. If someone was to run and jump on him he wouldn't like it, either!

"Are you sure about this?" Tom asked, leaning back against the fence casually.

"Ssh!" Dougie shushed him quickly, turning back only for a moment with a finger pressed to his lips. Tom smiled and closed his mouth with a nod. Oh, this was sure to be entertaining. Dougie turned back to the horse, his face softening incredibly. "Heey..." he spoke to her quietly. He held his arm out to her and continued to inch forward. "Heeey..." he continued to speak to her, making her ears perk in his direction, although she stayed facing sideways to him. As he got close enough to touch her face, he paused, not wanting to scare her. She turned her face to look at him, making a quiet breathing noise at him. The two stared at each other, Dougie's fingertips only centimeters away from her nose. She made another noise and moved forward, rubbing her nose gently into the palm of his hand.

Tom stood up straight, clearly awestruck by her sudden show of friendliness. "Holy shit," he muttered, taking a small step forward.

Dougie breathed out slowly, not even realizing he had been holding his breath to begin with. "See? You're not so bad..." he told her, rubbing his hand up the length of her nose and back down slowly. He moved his other hand to stroke her neck gently, his fingers moving under the long, black, matted hair of her mane, and stroking the soft fur. "You're beautiful..." he continued, earning a quiet neighing sound from her. He turned back to Tom with an accomplished smile. "See? She likes me," he said with a nod.

"Yeah, she'll let you touch her, but can you ride her?" Tom asked with an intrigued smile.

Dougie stared at Tom with wide eyes. "R-ride her? Like... get on her?" Dougie asked shakily. He looked back to the horse, marveling at how tall and powerful she looked.

"Yeah? Why not?"

"SHE'S GINORMOUS!" he said suddenly, turning back to Tom quickly.

Tom grinned and shook his head. "I'll help you on, alright?" he offered, making his way slowly to the other side of the stable.

"What if she throws me off like she did to you?!" Dougie asked hurriedly, his hold on the horse becoming a bit tighter the closer Tom got to him.

Tom laughed and shrugged. "I'll catch you."

Dougie stared up at him, melting a bit at the soft smile he was getting. "Alright..." he said quietly. He turned back to the horse, stroking her nose gently again. "I'm gonna get on you, okay? I promi– "

"What are you doing?" Tom asked with an amused smile.

Dougie turned around and smiled at Tom. "I'm talking to her," he told him very matter-of-factly. He turned back around and continued to stroke her nose and neck. "I promise I won't hurt you..." he continued softly.

"Alright, are you done?" Tom asked, placing a hand on her nose, as well. She jerked her head back away from Tom's touch, and Tom withdrew his hand. "Damn, she doesn't like me," he laughed, taking a small step back and bowing his head a bit. "Here, put your foot in my hands," Tom told Dougie, lacing his fingers together and holding his hand down near the ground as a step.

Dougie looked down to Tom's hands, a bit nervous about the whole thing. "Are you sure? I mean, my shoes are dirty and– "

"Stop stalling and start stepping," Tom told him with a sigh.

"Fine, but if I die– "

"You won't fucking die! Now step in my hands!"

"FINE!" Dougie carefully put his foot in Tom's hand, holding on carefully to the horse's neck while he prepared to hoist himself up. Any day soon. He was standing there for about a grand total of thirty seconds before Tom grew impatient and lifted up for him, moving his entire body up in the air with ease. Dougie screamed and kicked the other leg, not sure what to do.

"Swing your other leg around and get on!" Tom instructed forcefully, pushing Dougie higher in the air.

"I'm trying!" Dougie squealed, wrapping his arms tighter around the horse's neck. Tom groaned and moved one hand to Dougie's other foot, pushing it up and over the horse's ass as well as he could, all the while still holding him up with the other hand. "TOOOOMMM!" Dougie squealed some more, swinging his foot over the rest of the way and sitting up straight.

"God damn, how much do you weigh?" Tom asked, crossing his arms over his chest rigidly.

"Why? Am I heavy or something?" Dougie asked, breathing heavily.

Tom laughed and shook his head. "No, you feel like you only weigh eighty pounds!"

"HEY! I weigh more than that!" Dougie protested, digging his fingers lightly into the horse's mane. Tom only laughed again and took a step back. "Hey wait! Where are you going?! What if she gets mad and runs and I fall off and die?!"

"You know, for a kid with a lip ring, you ain't very tough," Tom laughed, stepping back up to Dougie and the horse.

Dougie started, looking down to the horse. It was a bit of an awkward feeling to have the horse's spine going up his ass, but he was adjusting pretty quickly. "So, what's her name?" he asked, looking back to Tom slowly.

"She doesn't have one..."

"Can I name her?"

Tom smiled and shrugged. "If you want..." he trailed off quietly, looking back to the horse, who appeared to have no problem with the situation.

"Mmm... what the hell do you name a horse?" he asked with a laugh. Tom shrugged again in response. "Oh jeez, I'm glad you're so helpful."

"Glad to be of service," he said with a sarcastic smirk.

Dougie bit down on his lip ring, smiling sideways. "Okay... I'll call her Deja," he decided with a nod.

Tom furrowed his brow. "What the hell does that mean?" he asked.

"You know... Deja, like Deja Vu?"

"And why would you call her that?"

"Because it's pretty?"

Tom stared at Dougie for a moment, trying to think of something in response, but absolutely nothing came to mind. "Alright... Deja it is, then..."

Dougie smiled triumphantly. "I think it's a great name."

"Well, since she seems to only like you, why don't you help me break her?" Tom asked, taking a small step back again.

"You would let me do that?!" Dougie asked, suddenly growing very excited.

Tom smiled and nodded. "Yeah, why not?"

"Wow, cool! Thanks! Finally I'll have something to do in this hick town..."

"Alright, why don't you come over tomorrow and we'll get started on breaking her?"

Dougie smiled and nodded his head quickly. "Okay, I'll be here."


	5. Chapter 5

"Three months..." Dougie muttered to himself as he rolled over on his bed, toying with a small, wooden carving of a horse Tom had given him. It had been three months since he'd been taken out of the life he loved, and he found himself missing it less and less each day he spent with his new found friend. He laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling, the blank look on his face doing nothing to portray all of the thoughts raging through his mind. Why wasn't he missing his old friends? Why wasn't he spending every second on the farm just dying to go back to civilization? He couldn't help but wonder if he was falling for the tall boy that lived just a few hours down the road on foot.

"No! I'm NOT!" He screamed, sitting up suddenly and slamming a fist down on the bed on either side of himself. He breathed heavily and glared at the wall, holding Tom's little wooden figure tightly in his hand. Dougie let out a loud, irritated scream, plopping back on his bed again. "Mother fucker!" He growled, dropping the little horse and covering his face with both hands. "He's so god damn CUTE when he's stupid!"

After laying bitterly for about a minute, Dougie slowly dropped his hands from his face and looked off to the side, his eyes glazing over a bit. "I hate boys," he said with a sigh.

"Well, I'm sorry," came Tom's voice from the hallway.

Dougie sat up straight, his cheeks turning instantly pink and his eyes wide. "For what?" he asked quickly, pushing Tom's little horse under his pillow as discreetly as possible.

"Well, I'm a boy, or not?" He asked as he stepped into the room.

Dougie stared at him like a deer in the headlights, not quite sure what to say. _God damnit, why the fuck didn't I close the door?_ "Umm... yeah?"

"So that means you hate me too then, doesn't it?" he continued, walking to Dougie's bed and standing over him.

Dougie rolled his eyes at Tom and stood. He smiled up at Tom, only having left a few inches between their bodies. "Aww, you know I don't hate you," he said with a sly smile, patting Tom gently on the shoulder. Tom stared down at Dougie, that usual calm look on his face; that look that _never_ betrayed how he was feeling. It bugged Dougie that he could never really read what Tom was thinking or feeling other than anger. The boy could show anger, and he could laugh... but anything else, his face was blank. Giving half of a laugh, Dougie shook his head and walked toward his dresser, picking a guitar pick from the top and poking at the old wood with it. "I can't," he continued. "You're the only friend I have here..."

"Well, that'll all change tomorrow!" Tom said with a smile. Raising an eyebrow, Dougie turned and looked at Tom questioningly. "After all, you're gonna meet lots of new people at school." Dougie turned around with a roll of his eyes and a heavy sigh. Cocking an eyebrow of his own and crossing his big forearms over his chest, he took a few steps near Dougie. "What?" he asked, his voice a bit harsh.

Dougie kept his back turned. He hadn't meant to offend Tom or anything, although it seemed a relatively easy thing to do. But the word 'apologize' didn't generally exist in his vocabulary. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't exactly fit in around here," Dougie said quietly, now sawing at the old wood of his dresser with the pick.

"So what?" Tom asked, walking closer and putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're different than me, and I like you just fine!" He continued proudly, giving Dougie's shoulder a bit of a shake.

"Mmm... I dunno..." Dougie said uncertainly, turning his body entirely to lean against his dresser and face Tom again.

"Ah, come on! You'll do fine! Just wait! You'll see!" Tom continued, now placing both hands on Dougie's shoulders and shaking him gently.

Dougie gave a half smile, before getting a bit uncertain again. "But what if no one likes me?" Tom dropped his hands slowly from Dougie's shoulders. This nervous side was a side that Tom hadn't come to associate with the younger boy over the three months he'd known him. And for whatever reason, he was really unhappy with the other boy's unhappiness. It made him feel all _funny_ inside. And he didn't like it. At all. "Do you have any idea how scary it is to be somewhere new? Where you don't have any friends? Because it's pretty fucking scary..."

"Well... you'll always have me!" Tom offered, bringing his hand to rest gently on Dougie's upper arm. _Why the hell do I keep touching this damn kid?!_ he yelled at himself, noticing himself touching Dougie again. He dropped his hand slowly and put it in his pocket to keep himself from doing it again without meaning to. "And besides, if anyone even so much as looks at you wrong, you just tell me and I'll take care of it."

Dougie laughed and walked to the other side of his room, picking up a drum stick and tapping lightly on one of the drums with it. "I can take care of myself, thanks..."

Tom kept his back turned for a moment, not liking the fact that he'd just basically rejected him. "Why do you do that?" he asked, fingering the corner of Dougie's chipped dresser gently.

"Do what?" Dougie asked, looking up with a bit of confusion.

Tom turned slowly, looking at Dougie with hurt in his eyes. This was definitely a new emotion from the boy. "You just shoot down help! Like you don't need it! Like you think you're too good to take help from a middle of nowhere hick!"

"I don't– "

"No! You know what? You know you need it, and you're just don't wanna admit that _you need someone_."

Dougie was speechless. Absolutely speechless. No one had ever hit so dead on before; not even friends he had known for years. Not that he could admit Tom was right. "Fuck you! You don't know me!" Dougie defended himself, throwing his drumstick down.

"Is that your first reaction to _everything_?!" Tom yelled, sounding more intelligent than he'd ever sounded before. "I swear, whenever you get overwhelmed, you just say 'fuck it,' and give up! You're so damn busy being angry that you can't see how damn scared you are!"

"Get the fuck out of my house!" Dougie yelled, pointing angrily to the door. Tom was right; 100 percent. But Dougie wouldn't admit it. He couldn't. He was too proud to do something so _weak_.

"Fine! But we'll just see how you do tomorrow when you haven't got any friends!"

Dougie flinched as the door slammed violently, right after watching Tom storm out of it. "Fuuck me," he sighed, sitting down heavily on his drum stool. He fell forward, his head landing with a loud thud on a drum. "I'm so fucking stupid!" he complained, picking his head up a few inches and slamming it back down. With another sigh he opened his eyes. "Stupid."

Oh, the glorious first day of school. There was nothing better than the first day of school! Not!.

When Dougie saw Tom he made sure to walk by without even looking at him. He could see Tom staring at him as he walked by, so he allowed himself a little smirk after he'd passed. Oh, he had that boy wrapped around his bony little finger. He just had to make Tom realize it. Had Dougie not known that Tom would be crawling back to him later, he might've been a little bit worried about losing his only friend. But Dougie was too proud to be worried. He wouldn't even allow it of himself for a second.

"Poor fucker..." Dougie said with a laugh, tucking his hands deep into the pockets of his loose blue jeans.

"What'd you say?"

Dougie looked up to see an older looking boy, built quite the same way as Tom, staring at him with a look of offence. "Why?" Dougie asked with a scoff.

"'Cause, I need to know."

Dougie scoffed again, giving a bit of an arrogant laugh with it. "Fuck you," he said, continuing walking.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd watch your mouth," the other boy said sternly, taking a hold of Dougie's arm.

"Yeah? Well I would appreciate it if you would get your grubby hands off of me," Dougie spat back, taking an instant disliking to this kid.

"What'd you say?!" he asked, squeezing Dougie's arm harder.

Dougie didn't even wince at the pain, although it did hurt quite a bit. He merely laughed and pushed the guy away from him. "I didn't stutter, did I?"

"I should kick your ass!"

"DEAN!"

The boy stopped and looked over toward Tom, who had stood and walked over to the scene. "What?" he asked, grabbing Dougie's arm again.

"Get your hand off him," Tom commanded firmly.

"You heard what he said! Didn't you hear what he called me?" The kid – apparently Dean – defended himself, pulling Dougie toward him.

"You heard him! Let go," Dougie taunted.

"You shut the hell up!" Tom yelled at Dougie, managing to actually shut him up instantly, and with a look of fear to go along with it. "I said, get your hand. Off. Him."

"But– "

"He shouldn't be touched, did you hear?"

Dean stared at Tom for a moment, before letting go of Dougie finally. He knew there was no changing Tom's mind. He could be as stubborn as a mule. "Fine. But we'll see who's your _real_ friend when the time comes," he growled, before walking away in a huff.

Dougie watched him walk away, kind of impressed with himself for almost getting in a fight on the first day. It'd never happened that fast before! Normally it took him about a week to piss someone off enough for that. "What a fuckin' moron," Dougie laughed. "I would've kicked his ass in two seconds."

"What the hell's the matter with you?!" Tom yelled, walking forward and grabbing Dougie by the back of the neck.

"Aaaah!" Dougie bent his neck back, trying to relieve himself of Tom's hand, but to no avail.

"You couldn't have at least waited a day before starting trouble?!" Tom continued, pushing Dougie through the halls to one that would offer a bit more privacy.

"Where's the fun in that?" Dougie grunted, still trying to bend out of Tom's hold on him. Tom was definitely much stronger than he, he had to admit it.

"Oh, forget you and your fun!" Tom whispered harshly, finally coming to a stop in an abandoned hallway and releasing his hold on Dougie. Dougie took a quick step away and rubbed the back of his neck, glaring heatedly at Tom. "Why the hell can't you try and be nice for a change?! Maybe people'd like you!"

"Who? People like _you_?" Dougie asked demeaningly.

And there was that hurt again. Suddenly Dougie realized just how cruel he could truly be when trying to defend his own honor. He would've given anything to take back what he'd said just so he would never have to see that look on that particular person's face again. But he'd said it. And there was no going back now; and there was no apologizing. Dougie Poynter didn't apologize. He'd already done it once to the boy... why should he do it again? He would just look like an ass.

"I don't understand you..." Tom started quietly. "I've done everything to make you feel welcome, and you've done nothing but be mean to me." There was a long moment of silence between the two, both just staring at the other. Tom clenched and unclenched his jaw, not quite sure what to think about that god damn funny feeling he kept getting. He licked his lips and opened his mouth, keeping it open for a minute before actually speaking. "I thought you were my friend..." he said quietly, before turning and leaving.

Dougie watched Tom walk away, left alone to wonder what the hell was wrong with him. In the past two days, both conversations with the boy he liked had ended in deep, hurtful words and yet he constantly left Dougie stupefied.

Now Dougie really was alone, he'd come to realize; he didn't seem to have a friend in the world anymore. "Oooh, fuck," he sighed. The bell rang, telling him that class had started, and he was now late. "Damnit! Double fuck!" And with the thought of being alone for the rest of his life, Dougie walked off to class drearily, not wanting to see Tom, but not wanting to avoid him, either. "Aaah... shit."


	6. Chapter 6

Dougie was quickly discovering that highschool without a single friend wasn't something he wanted to do. There wasn't a single person in the school that would so much as look at him... not even Tom! It had been a week since their last fight, and so far Tom hadn't cracked, as Dougie had hoped he would. It was actually looking like he was going to have to be the one to apologize... and he'd already done it once. And once was more than enough for him.

_Why the FUCK should I apologize to him?!_ he thought angrily as he pulled a few books from his locker and tried to shove them into his backpack. _Mother fucker... it was his own damn fault! He got in the middle of my fight with some dumbass kid! I could've taken care of it by myself, but now I look like a fucking pussy! And it's all his fault!_ The angrier he got, the harder of a time he was having getting his books into his backpack, and the harder of a time he was having getting his books into his backpack, the angrier he got. It was a vicious cycle, really.

But... no matter how hard Dougie tried to convince himself that he was _really _mad at Tom, that sad, little face just popped into his mind. It was so much easier to ignore the kid when he was only showing him anger and happiness; it was like there was nothing else to him. But now it almost seemed like Tom was _trusting_ him. Not only that, but his face was just so god damn cute. His sad little eyes... his pudgy little cheeks, his dimple... oh god, it was just almost too much for him to take.

Dougie was now wrestling with his backpack, shaking it violently and pulling on the zipper. With one last tug, he managed to yank it out of his own hand, and it fell to the floor with a thud. He stood still for a moment, his breathing heavy as he stared down at his checker-printed backpack laying open on the ground with books hanging out of it. "God damnit..." He muttered as he bent down slowly. He kneeled with his knees to his chest – not a very balanced position – and began to pick up the few things that had fallen out of his backpack.

"You... uhh..."

The sound of Tom's voice from above him startled Dougie enough to make him flinch and fall backward onto his butt. The two stared at each other for a moment, the moment becoming a little bit awkward the longer they stared. "Uhh... hi," Dougie managed out, swallowing hard.

"You alright?" Tom asked, kneeling down on the ground next to him and picking up some of his books for him. "You looked like you were having a seizure or something," he continued, picking up Dougie's backpack, looking at it strangely for a second, and then putting the books in it gently.

"Oh... that..." Dougie didn't really know what to say to him. He was torn between just walking away and apologizing, but at that precise moment, neither option was sounding very good to him. "I... I uhh..." Was he supposed to tell him that he'd been thinking about him non-stop since their fight? ... No. Was he supposed to tell him that he couldn't get his cute, little face out of his head? ... No. Was he supposed to tell him that he was practically lost without him in that bumfuck town? ... Most definitely not.

Tom simply stared at him, holding his now zipped up backpack out for him, and still kneeling down to his sitting level. "Are you feeling alright?" The concern on Tom's face made Dougie want to hug him. Really hard. How Tom had turned out to be such a caring person in such an uncaring town was completely beyond Dougie. And while Dougie contemplated just that, Tom just got all the more concerned. "Alright, let's go," Tom said, grabbing Dougie by the arm and pulling him up with him.

"Wait! Where are we going?" Dougie asked, pulling against Tom's grasp... not that it made much of a difference. Tom was definitely much stronger than Dougie was.

"I'm taking you to the nurse," Tom said, slinging Dougie's backpack over his shoulder, and pulling Dougie along with him.

"No! I don't need to go to a nurse!" Dougie protested, pulling even harder against Tom.

"You been trying to convince me about that since you got here, and I still don't believe you!" Tom argued, tugging him forward again.

"But I'm fine!"

"You go to the nurse and get her to tell me that your alright, and I'll believe you." Tom came to a stop in front of a plain, white door, with "School Nurse" painted on in black.

"But– "

"And that's FINAL!" Tom finished, opening the door, holding out Dougie's backpack to him, and staring at him expectantly.

Dougie stared at Tom for a second, before swallowing nervously, and walking into the office. The door closed gently behind him, and Dougie was left in this small, white room. It looked like it lead to another room; probably where all of the 'nursing' was done. _Jesus Christ, that was hot,_ Dougie thought to himself as he took a seat in the empty room. He leaned his head against the plain white wall and closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. _That bastard just keeps on surprising me..._ he thought, laughing inwardly. _God, what I wouldn't give to_–

"Can I help you?"

Dougie's eyes shot open and he sat up quickly. "Oh! Hi!" He said, standing immediately.

"What can I do for you?" This woman wasn't like any of the other's Dougie had seen so far in Arkansas. She was probably one of the most attractive women he had ever seen in his life. She was most likely in her early twenties; her skin was smooth and clear, her hair was long and brown – a color to match her eyes – and tied in a tight bun. The way she dressed made her resemble a librarian, but her knee length skirt and thick high heels made her legs seem long and limber, not that they probably weren't on her own. "Hello?" She didn't have a southern accent, either. She was just a normal, very hot, young woman. And she was waving her hand in front of Dougie's face. "Are you okay? Do you need to lay down or go home?" She asked, now standing in front of Dougie with a hand on his forehead.

Dougie blinked and took a step back, nodding his head. "Yeah, I'm fine," He started, earning a skeptical look from her. "This weird kid was just a little worried about me and me made me come here... don't ask me why, because I am definitely fine," he finished with a nod, taking another step back.

"You aren't from here, are you?" She asked, crossing her arms over her stomach.

Dougie stared at her for a minute, not quite sure why she was asking further questions. "What tipped you off?" he asked with a sarcastic laugh.

"I think it was the piercings," she said with a laugh. "Or maybe the fact that you don't talk like most people do around here."

"Well, that goes for you too, then, eh?" he asked with an arrogant smile.

She laughed and shook her head, sitting down on the corner of her desk. "Look kid," she started with a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't get all flirty with me, alright?" Dougie didn't say anything. He simply rolled his eyes. "And don't roll your eyes at me, either. I know kids like you; you all think you're hot stuff and that _no one_ can touch you, but one day someone will take you off your pedestal, and you'll see that you're no better than the rest of us." Dougie, again, was left speechless. "Now, why are you here?" she asked finally.

Oh, she was good. She was very, very good, and Dougie knew it. "I'm a gay kid in the middle of Arkansas who has the hots for a big, goofy, homophobe," he said with a sigh as he fell into the seat.

"Aaah," she said with a knowing smile. She stood and motioned for Dougie to follow her, before stepping into the other half of the room.

Dougie stood and followed her, half afraid she was going to jump out and kill him, and half hoping she would be naked or something. He needed some loving, and bad. But, as he walked around the corner, he saw nothing but an empty nurses room with one of the little bed things and some tools. "Hello?" Dougie asked, peering around the room with confusion.

"In here!" the woman called, poking her head out from yet another door. "In the office," she continued, waving him in still.

"Oh... right." Dougie walked through the medical room and into another room, which was apparently her office. "This place doesn't look like it's this big," he said, looking around nervously as he walked in.

"Door," she said shortly, motioning for him to close it. Dougie nodded and closed the door behind him. "Sit," she continued in the same commanding voice. Dougie, again, did as he was told, and sat at the chair on the opposite side of her desk. "So, this guy you like... is he, by chance, the 'weird kid' that made you come see me?"

Dougie didn't like feeling insecure. And being in the room they were in – especially being in the position he was being put in – was making him feel very insecure. And when that happened, he tended to close up a bit. He shrugged at her question, looking at her only momentarily, before darting his eyes across the room.

"I'm going to take that as a yes," she said, folding her hands on her desk and staring at Dougie with understanding. "And I'm also going to assume that said friend doesn't know?"

"Look lady," Dougie started, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn't like feeling attacked, and when people tried to get him to admit to his weaknesses was when he felt most attacked. And when he felt attacked was when he really closed himself up. The woman backed up a bit, raising an eyebrow at him. She was obviously slightly offended with his tone. "Stop trying to know me, okay?"

"Look, _kid_," she said forcefully. "I'm only trying to help you, okay?"

"Who says I want your help?" he asked defensively. "I don't need anyone's help," he muttered as he stood, preparing to leave.

"No? Well I think you'll need one of these to get excused for being late to class," she said smugly, holding a blank excuse slip between her index and middle fingers.

Dougie stopped and turned around slowly. "You're good," he said as he plopped back down into the chair. She laughed and gave a nod. "Okay la– "

"Pamela," she interrupted him with a smile.

"Fine... _Pamela_... if you MUST know, yes, Tom is the... he's my... he's the guy... that..."

"That you 'have the hots for,' as you put it," she offered.

Dougie just glared at her for a second. "Yeah."

She laughed and nodded her head. "I see the attraction, Tom's a very sweet boy," she said with a nod.

"Yeah, well..." Dougie wasn't willing to actually _say_ anything that could make him sound... weak.

"Well?" Pamela asked, staring at him inquiringly. "You're not leaving until I'm satisfied with our conversation," she told him with an overly friendly smile.

Dougie growled with irritation. "Well... he wouldn't... ever..." Dougie trailed off, exhaling with frustration. He didn't know how to finish his sentence without sounding like a twelve year old girl. So he just stared at her, a perplexed look on his face.

"He wouldn't ever like you back is what you're thinking, right?"

Dougie licked his lips with irritation. He didn't want to give her an answer. He didn't want to cooperate with her. So he just glared at her fiercely, his arms still crossed tightly over his chest. At this point he didn't care if she was cute; he liked boys better than girls, anyway. But, the cursed woman waved the excuse slip at him again, so he really had no choice but to answer. "Kind of like that, yeah."

"Mmm..."

"How is this supposed to help me?" Dougie snapped, slouching a bit more in his chair.

"Can I ask you something about your friendship with Tom?" she asked, moving right past his question.

"Sure."

"Well, first off, when did you move here and from where?"

Dougie sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Umm... I moved here a little over three months ago from California, near the bay area."

"Mmm... okay, so that answers some questions already," she mumbled. Looking up at Dougie again, she folded her hands on her desk; something which she seemed to do a lot. "How did you two meet?"

Dougie sat up a bit, sighing before speaking. "I crashed my car and he saved me," he told her, telling her the smallest amount of the story as possible.

But she didn't seem pleased. "How did you crash your car?"

"Well," Dougie started with another sigh, although he was slowly unfolding himself. "My mom and Chris decided that we should drive, and I had to bring my car, of course, so we drove from California to Arkansas, and I didn't stop, unlike them. Plus, I was pissed about having to move to Bumfuck, wherever-the-hell– "

"Language please."

"Sorry. Anyway, I wasn't happy about having to move, plus we drive psychotically in California, so I was speeding... and I was really tired... and one of his cows ran into the road and I flipped my car."

"And then... what? He flew out in his Superman outfit because his Spidey-sense was tingling?" she asked sarcastically.

"You are a very bitter woman," Dougie pointed out, before continuing his story. "He was running after his cow because it escaped – obviously since it was on the road – and he saw my car flipped... and he pulled me out and that's the last thing I can remember before being in his house... he was staring at me the whole freaking time... so when I woke up he was just... staring at me. It was kind of freaky."

"Mhmm... and after that what happened?"

Dougie was easing into this conversation slowly, but his arms weren't crossed anymore; his hands were simply resting in his lap, and he was hardly slouching anymore. "I was pretty much on house-arrest for a week or so... but I ran away... literally ran, for hours, and then I passed out on the road, and he nearly ran me over. So then we were yelling and he offered me his gun if I wanted to die, and when I didn't do anything he was all 'that's what I thought!' and drove off in a huff. But then I realized I still had his gun, so I had to go back to his house and give it to him... and I apologized and helped him with his horse... and I guess we've been friends since."

"That's cute," she said with a smile, leaning back in her chair.

"What? That he nearly ran me over? That he wanted me to kill myself? Or that we're friends?" Dougie asked, not quite sure what she was talking about.

Pamela sighed and rolled her eyes. "It's cute that he wanted you to see that you didn't really want to die."

"What do you mean?"

"He wouldn't have handed you a gun if he didn't already know you weren't going to do anything... he wanted you to see that you didn't really want to die." Dougie was silent. He didn't really see how she got that out of what he told her, but when he thought about it it made sense. "Okay, well how often, would you say, that you guys are together?"

Dougie bit down on his lip ring, running his teeth over the smooth metal. "Almost every day."

"Mhm," she said with an accomplished smile.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"Dougie..."

"Okay, Dougie, let me tell you what I know about Tom Fletcher. I moved here from New York almost five years ago, and I've been working here ever since– "

"How old are you?!"

"Do you want to know about your lover boy, or not?" Dougie closed his mouth, shooting her a bit of a glare, but not daring to speak back to her. "So, I've known Tom since he was in the seventh grade, and he has _never_ had a close relationship with another student. I have watched him time and time again give up a date to work – be it with a friend or a _girl_." Dougie listened intently, for once interested in what she had to say. Anything that could help him get into the mind of the lovable teddy-bear, right? "I talked to his parents several times about it, and they tried to get him to socialize more, but nothing seemed to help."

"But you say you've been together almost every day? This, I don't understand. He sounds like he worries about you; I mean, he saved you, so he probably instantly took it upon himself to be your protector, not to mention you're the only child like you in this state, I think. It's just strange; he denies all ties with everyone that is like him, but he seems to cling to you; and let me tell you, that is a _very_ unusual behavior for him."

Dougie wasn't quite sure what to think of what she was telling him. "Is that... good?" Dougie asked, actually leaning forward in his chair for the first time that day.

Pamela sighed and folder hands again, leaning toward Dougie. "Here's the tricky part. It sounds like he could reciprocate your feelings for him... but if that's so... you have to be extremely careful. One, if you move too fast you will frighten him," she started, pointing out with one finger. "Two, if you don't go about this in the right way, you could lose your friendship with him, and right now, it sounds like he's the only friend you have here, correct?" she asked, holding out two fingers and nodding toward Dougie. Dougie nodded slowly, making sure to remember what she was telling him. "And three, if you do go about it the right way, and it does become this... perfect relationship you're dreaming of... you have to be careful."

"Why?" Dougie asked, chewing nervously on his thumbnail.

"Being gay isn't socially acceptable here. If the wrong person were to find out... well... have you seen Brokeback Mountain?" Dougie nodded slowly, knowing now exactly what she was saying. "You don't want to end up like those two old birds, now do you?" Dougie shook his head, looking down at his lap slowly. "Look, I'm not saying torture yourself at night and just try to forget about this... I'm just saying be wise."

Dougie nodded and looked up at her again. "So... do you really think he likes me?" Dougie asked. He ran the risk of sounding completely immature and stupid, but he didn't really care.

Pamela smiled and laughed. "How about you come back in a week and talk to me then, okay? You have to get back to class," she said, pulling out that little pink slip of paper and signing it with the time. "Get to class," she said as she handed it to him.

Dougie sighed and nodded his head, taking the slip and exiting her office. "Alright, when next week?" Dougie asked, turning every once in a while to make sure she was still behind him.

"Oh, just stop by any time," she told him.

Dougie nodded and opened the door, revealing a very bored looking Tom, apparently still waiting for him in the hall. "What did she say?" he asked, standing and smiling broadly when he saw Dougie.

"Hello, Tom," Pamela said, stepping out into the hall with the two boys.

"Well, hello Miss Pamela," Tom said with a sweet smile. "I was just worried about my friend here. Told him he had to see you, just to make sure nothing was wrong!"

"Well, that's very good advice, Tom," she said, putting an arm around his shoulder and giving him a gentle squeeze. "And let me tell you, he's just fine," she told him, smiling quickly to Dougie, before looking back to Tom.

"You sure? 'Cause he's been acting awful funny..."

"I'm sure! I checked his temperature and everything," she lied with a nod. "He's perfectly healthy, although he is scheduled to see me next week again, just to be sure. Will you be my helper and make sure he comes in?"

"I sure will, Miss Pamela! I sure will," Tom promised with an honest grin.

"Now, I take it you need an excused slip?" she asked, dropping her arm from his shoulder and taking a quick step back to the front desk.

"Yes please, if it isn't too much trouble."

Dougie was seeing Tom through a new light. He had never actually noticed before just how sweet he was, but now that she'd pointed it out, it was really quite obvious to him. He seemed to really respect his elders, especially women.

"Alright, here you go boys, now get back to class," she told them both, pushing them gently down the hall. She smiled to herself as she watched them walk down the hall together. "He so wants you."


	7. Chapter 7

Dougie stepped out of his house, taking a deep breath of the crisp, November air. Although he was used to the sun, he was a little bit more than happy about the summer being over. He had never experienced something like an Arkansas summer before in his life! Not only was it unbearably hot, but it was also humid. Dougie and Tom had gone swimming together a few times, and seeing the older boy shirtless was reward enough for withstanding the heat.

But, now that the heat and humidity was gone, Dougie definitely didn't miss it. He was glad that Arkansas generally had mild autumns, and someone had told him that spring was the same way. He had actually begun to enjoy the crisp, fall mornings; especially when he got to see Tom. The more he was with Tom, the more he liked him; despite his own wishes to not. There was just something so cute about him! It wasn't so crazy to Dougie that he was feeling so strongly for the boy, considering he'd known him a little over five months, and the two had been just sort of inseparable

Dougie's eyes drooped while he leaned against the outside wall of his house. A cold wind blew through, so he grabbed his hoodie by the zipper and pulled it tighter around his body, hoping to conserve at least a little bit of body heat. Sighing sleepily, he let his eyes fall closed completely, huddling into himself as much as possible while standing. "Fuckin' school..." he muttered, wishing Tom would just let him skip for one day.

But, of course, he wouldn't. A honk told Dougie that Tom had arrived, so he opened his eyes and began to walk toward Tom's dirty, white, pickup-truck. "Morning Doug," Tom greeted when Dougie opened the passenger side door. Dougie nodded to him and climbed in, too tired to bother with words. Dougie was most definitely a bitch in the mornings if you rubbed him the wrong way, so Tom had learned soon what was acceptable to say to him and what wasn't. "You slept well?" Tom continued, backing slowly out of the long driveway. Dougie nodded but kept his eyes closed. "How many times do I have to tell you that you should buckle your damn seat belt?" Tom sighed with exasperation.

"Oh shut up," Dougie growled, pulling the seatbelt across his chest and buckling it with a reluctant sigh.

"Well! You've already crashed your car! You should be a little bit more careful!" Tom ranted on as he drove down the abandoned road. Dougie just sighed and pressed his forehead against the window. The glass felt cold on his skin, and made him want to move, but he was too damn tired to even open his eyes or talk. "You ready for Miss Johnson's math quiz today?" Tom asked, glancing over at Dougie before shifting his eyes back to the road.

"Can't we skip today?" Dougie whined, keeping his head to the glass and his eyes closed.

"Hell no! We can't skip! I've never skipped a day in my live!" Tom protested loudly.

"Oh, come on... pleaaase?" he continued, still not bothering to look at Tom.

"We have that math quiz today! You don't wanna fail, now do you?"

Dougie laughed ironically and slid his head down the window slowly. "Please, I could pass that quiz with my eyes closed," he muttered bitterly.

"Well, aren't you cocky," Tom pointed out with a laugh, glancing to Dougie again.

"That class is too easy!" Dougie complained, sitting up finally and looking over at Tom. _God, you're attractive_, he thought, allowing a slightly desiring smile to grace his features.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Tom laughed, driving steadily down the road. Tom was definitely a calm driver, if anything had to be said about him. He never seemed to be in a hurry to get anywhere; he just cruised along, and he got there when he got there. "That class is hard!" he finished, glancing to Dougie again with a helpless smile.

"God, that stuff is so easy for me, though!" Dougie complained over dramatically, resting his head on the back of the seat. And if something had to be said about Dougie, it was that he was smart. Very smart. And that was how he was able to be so witty; he had a vast vocabulary, a keen mind, and a thirst for knowledge. "I'm supposed to be in calculus right now! And I would be if I hadn't moved!"

"Why aren't you in it here?" Tom asked, finding it rather hard to keep his eyes on the road while Dougie was in the car. Why? He wouldn't know the answer if someone asked. There was just something about the other boy that compelled him to look at him.

"Because your school doesn't offer it!" Dougie continued, getting more worked up the longer he talked. "I swear I'm smarter than half the teachers!"

"It's not about being smart around here," Tom told him, his voice soft.

"Then what is it about?" Dougie asked, adjusting himself to face Tom better.

Tom was silent for a moment, biting his lips together as if trying to think of the right words to say. "It's about family," he said, sounding a bit corny. "Big jobs where you make all the money... that's not what we care about. Maybe you haven't noticed, but this here's a small town. There's not a single person here who's name I don't know. As long as we can all get along and protect our town, we're happy. None of us needs to make the big bucks to be happy... we're just happy being a family."

Dougie stared at him after he'd finished his little speech. He knew that if he still lived in California he wouldn't care about Tom. He knew that he would probably even laugh at him and call him a dirty hick with no aspirations. But something about the town was changing him, and he couldn't help but feel that it was for the better. Because as he looked at Tom, he was able to accept him for being different, and even admire him and his town. "Wow," Dougie said with a smile as he leaned back against the seat again.

Tom looked over at him with an inquiring look in his eyes. "What?"

Dougie smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing... that's just the most selfless thing I've ever heard."

"Isn't it like that where you're from?"

Dougie shook his head, giving off a chuckle as he did. "It's nothing like that back home. I don't even know my neighbor's names! People in California couldn't give a shit about each other... as long as we stay out of each other's ways, we're happy," Dougie told him with a nod. "I don't even really think my friends cared all that much when I left... it was mainly about the partying, the sex, and the money. Even if you had a lot of money, you always had to get more." Dougie shook his head and looked down at his lap. He'd never actually thought about the way things worked back home before, but now that he had, he didn't really see how he ever thought it was okay. "It's kind of refreshing being out here."

Tom looked over at Dougie and smiled warmly. "Well, sounds like you're slowly starting to like it out here, huh?"

Dougie chuckled quietly and looked back to Tom, who was – of course – looking back at the road. "Yeah, I guess I am..."

"Maybe people 'round here'll even start to like you!" Tom joked, glancing back to Dougie with a boyish grin. "I mean, if you'd just try being nice for a change..." he continued, laughing still.

Dougie laughed and shook his head. "I don't think they'll like me no matter what I do..." Dougie started with a sigh. "I'm too god damn different for them... I dunno, maybe I should take out my piercings, cut my hair, and start wearing plaid," he joked, smiling broadly. Dougie's entire life flashed before his eyes as Tom slammed on the brakes without warning, and with no apparent reason. A loud scream escaped Dougie's lips, and he braced himself on the dashboard, searching the road for any sign of why they'd come to a sudden stop. "JESUS! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" Dougie screamed, breathing heavily.

"I should slap you across the mouth!" Tom yelled, turning on Dougie suddenly.

"Why?!" he yelled, sitting back in his seat again.

"For what you said!"

"What? About the plaid?" Dougie asked with confusion. "I'm sorry if that offended you, I didn't mean it in a demeaning way!" he tried to defend himself, a bit lost in the whole situation. He didn't think what he had said would hit a nerve in Tom. But it most definitely did.

"No! I don't mean that! I'm talking about you changing yourself to please a bunch of assholes that couldn't give a shit about you!" Dougie stared at Tom, his mouth hanging open a bit. "I like you because you're different than everybody else! You're YOU! And you shouldn't be scared of it!"

"I was just kidding..." Dougie said meekly, his stare on Tom unfaultering.

"I don't want you to be like them! I don't like them! They're too god damn scared to break out of what's normal and just be themselves!" Tom lectured, staring at Dougie with more passion in his eyes than Dougie had ever seen. It was kind of shocking, really. "You're my best god damn friend I've ever had! And it's because you're not scared to stand up for what you believe in, and I love that. You make me feel like I can do _anything_!" There was a brief moment where Tom was quiet and just looking down at his lap. "No one's ever made me _fee_l stuff before..." he said, his voice sounding big and bumbly. "I kinda like it..."

Dougie's lips curled up at the corners into a smile. He was doing his best to keep from mauling Tom with kisses! "Well, if it's any consolation, I think you're probably the best friend I've ever had, too," he said after a long moment of silence. Tom smiled but kept his eyes adverted. "But you don't have to show me that by trying to kill me!" Dougie added, trying to lighten the moment a bit. Things were getting a bit thick between them, and the longer it was allowed to thicken, the more awkward it got.

Tom laughed and looked up at Dougie. "Glad you were wearing your seatbelt now, eh?" Tom asked smugly.

"Oh, shut up and take me to school."

"Well, class, I'm sure you all know that today is a special day!" Ms. Johnson started with a smile after the bell rang. "Today is Veterans' Day!"

Dougie's mouth opened in a silent gasp of irritation. _Are you fucking kidding me?! We normally get this day off!_ he thought angrily, although everyone else in the class seemed to be perfectly fine with it. Now Dougie knew his day was going to be shit.

"And so, in tradition, I'd like to ask you all to stand and face the flag so we can say the Pledge of Alliance like always!"

Dougie scoffed quietly at her and shook his head, but didn't stand with the class. Ever since he was old enough to know about his country, he hadn't recited that damn pledge. And he wasn't about to start any time soon. "Yeah right," he mumbled with a quiet laugh.

"Umm... Dougie? Please stand up" she demanded, looking over at him expectantly. Of course he couldn't just get away with it... she'd put him in the front of the class.

"I think I'll sit this one out, thanks," he said with a raised eyebrow.

Ms. Johnson just stared at him. Legally there was nothing she could really do about it, but she just didn't feel morally right allowing a student to 'sit out' on the Pledge of Allegiance. "Are you sure?" she asked, squinting her eyes at him awkwardly.

"Mmmm..." Dougie looked at the ceiling for a moment, seemingly thinking about it, before nodding his head quickly. "Pretty darn sure."

"Ah, come on, man," a boy next to him said, nudging his shoulder with his hand. "Just stand already."

"Isn't it... I dunno, but I think it's my right as a human being to decline... is that? Is... is that right?" he asked, faking confusion.

"Just stand already," another boy from the back said.

Dougie raised both eyebrows and turned to look at him. And, of course, it was Dean. "Well, that's not very patriotic of you," Dougie pointed out with a laugh. Oh, he was having too much fun with this. He really shouldn't have been... but he was.

"Why the hell not?" Dean asked, clenching his fists.

Dougie stood and turned to face him. "First off, I don't pledge my allegiance to a god damn piece of fabric!" he said with a cynical laugh. "Have you ever stopped to think about how ridicolous that is?!" Oh, now he was getting fired up.

"And why's that so ridiculous?!" Dean asked, taking a few steps forward.

"Oooh, Mr. Flaag! I looove you! I will honor and stay loyal to you foreeeevvrrrr!" Dougie said in a mocking, high voice, folding his hands together and placing them against his cheek. He dropped his hands and stared at Dean seriously, tilting his head to the side. "I mean, what's so wonderful about the flag? They're probably going to throw that flag away in ten years and get a new one!" he said, pointing toward the flag with his whole arm. "Maaaaybe if it was, 'I pledge allegiance to the United States of America because we rock hardcore,' or something like that! I could handle that. But 'I pledge allegiance to the flag'? Come on!"

The entire class was staring at him, including Tom. Slowly, Tom smiled and sat down, folding his hands on his desk. "Tom, what the hell are you doing?" Dean asked, noticing him sitting.

Tom shrugged and smiled arrogantly at Dean. "I think he's got a point," he said bluntly.

Dougie grinned and looked back to Dean, before sitting as well. He looked over to Tom, who looked back at him, and the two just shared a tender smile for a moment. "Thank you," Dougie mouthed to Tom, before looking back to the teacher.

"Tom! Get the hell up!" Dean complained.

Dougie turned quickly in his chair and threw a finger over his mouth, shushing Dean quietly. "Don't suppress his rights!" he said quickly, trying to hold in his laughter.

"Why I– "

"Boys! Come on! Let's just recite this thing so we can get on with our class, alright? In case you forgot, we got a math quiz to take!" As if on cue, the entire class groaned. "I don't wanna hear it! Now everybody that's reciting the pledge please put your hand over your heart and say it with me. Everyone that's not, please be quiet in your seats." The class all shifted and faced the flag, all with right hands over their hearts.


	8. Chapter 8

"Alright! We'll see you in a week, baby!" Tom's mother said with a smile as she wrapped her arms tightly around his body.

"Mom... do you have to call me baby?" Tom asked with a groan as he hugged her back.

She pulled back and pinched his cheek, earning a flinch and another groan from Tom. "I do, cause you're are my baby!"

Tom rolled his eyes and took a step back. "I'm not a baby anymore…" he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

His mother simply smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "But you'll always be _my_ baby." She kissed him on the cheek, before making her way through the door. "We'll see you when we get back, alright?"

Tom nodded and waved to her and his father as they left. "Bye mom, bye dad!"

Turning around slowly, he tucked his fingers in his pockets and stared at Dougie, his mother, and Chris awkwardly. Tom was the type of person to give you the shirt off of his back if you were cold, no matter how cold he was.. And he would make sure that you would take it, no matter how much force it took. So, knowing that, it probably wouldn't be hard to see that he didn't like feeling like he was imposing on people. He was the giver, not the taker. So when he was the person doing the taking... he didn't really know what to do with himself besides be overly polite.

"So, why are your parents going away, again?" Dougie's mom asked, her voice calm and sweet.

"Uh, they're going to look into buying some more land from the state" he said with a nod.

"Oh... that's nice," Dougie's mom said slowly, not really understanding half of what Tom had said, cause of his strong accent. "Well, you're welcome in our house anytime you need a place to sleep!" she said, standing and patting Tom on the shoulder a few times.

"Well, thank you Miss... uh... Dougie's mom," Tom said, his face becoming more awkward when he realized he didn't know her last name.

Dougie's mom laughed genuinely and shook her head. "Oh my," she said, placing a hand on her chest to calm herself. "My name is Joanne, and you can call me that if you'd like," she started. Noticing a bit of an uncomfortable look on Tom's face, she quickly added, "Or, you can just call me Ms. Poynter." Tom nodded his head with a smile. "Dougie, why don't you show him up to your room?" She said, turning to Dougie.

Dougie nodded his head and stood, walking over to Tom and picking up his bag. "Not that you don't know where it is already, but whatever..." he trailed off, his voice holding a bit of bitterness toward his mother. Tom watched him walk up the stairs, before turning to Ms. Poynter and giving her a warm smile. "Thank you Miss, for having me."

"Oh, it's our pleasure, Tom," she said, returning his smile. "You're a very nice boy, we love having you over! Maybe someday you'll rub off on Dougie," she finished with a laugh.

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe," he told her. "Just tell me if there's anything you want me to do!"

"Oh, Tom, you're our guest! We don't expect you to do anything around here.."

"But I'll be staying here a week! You just tell me if there's anything I can do..."

She smiled, giving a contemplative look. "Well... there is _one_ thing..." she started with a sly smile. Tom could recognize that smile anywhere. That was the smile that he received from Dougie almost everyday. There was no doubt about it when he looked at her; Dougie was DEFINITELY her son.

"Alright, you name it."

"Can you get him out of the house? Maybe get him to socialize with some other people?"

Tom thought for a minute, trying to remember a single time that Dougie had hung out with anybody _besides _him. And there was nothing. Absolutely nothing came to mind. "Well... there is a party tonight at the Peterson barn," Tom offered. "Every kid in school'll be there..."

"Ah! Sounds perfect! A party! Dougie LOVES going to parties!"

Tom let out a short chuckle and a nod. "Yeah, he mentioned something about that before."

"Tom! Get your scrawny ass up here and stop flirting with my mom!" Dougie called from his room, holding in his laughter at the thought of Tom flirting with his mom.

"Hey! Watch your mouth!" Tom called back, deciding on finally making his way upstairs. He walked into Dougie's room and closed the door. "I wasn't flirting with your mum", he said with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, then what would you call it?" Dougie asked with his usual sly smile as he leaned back on his bed.

Tom sat down on the bed next to Dougie, towering over him. "I was talking to her about me and you going to a party tonight!"

Now Dougie was intrigued. "A party?" he asked, sitting up. "Oh my god we have to go! I haven't been to a party in FOREVER!" he said with a bounce. Tom stared at Dougie with wide eyes and a huge smile. "Did she say yes?! Pleeaaaaaase say she said yes!" Dougie continued, getting more excited. Tom opened his mouth to answer, but Dougie cut him off. "Because if she said no, and you're telling me about a party anyway, I'm going to freaking KILL you!"

Tom thought about saying that she said no, just to irritate him. He almost let the words come out of his mouth, but seeing how hyped up Dougie was, and hearing that he would kill him, he figured it wouldn't be a very good idea. Hell, he could picture Dougie lunging at him and attacking him... and he really didn't want that. (Or did he?) So instead, he thought about what Dougie would probably believe most. He bit his lip and squinted his eyes, before speaking. "It took some talking,but I got her to say yes," he said finally, nodding. He felt a _teensy_ bit bad about lying to Dougie, but he knew if Dougie knew his mom WANTED him to go to the party, Dougie wouldn't want to go anymore.

"SWEET!" Dougie squealed. And even though it was good news, the situation that had played out in Tom's mind still happened. Dougie threw his arms around Tom and the two fell back, nearly falling off of Dougie's bed. Tom didn't do anything. He didn't hug Dougie back, he didn't push him away, he didn't say anything... he just let himself fall back with Dougie's small body landing against his own. "Oh my god! This is gonna be SO fun!" Dougie continued, taking no notice to Tom's sudden, stiff behavior. He stood and walked over to where his dresser was, pulling open drawer after drawer and trying to figure out what to wear.

Meanwhile, Tom stayed on his back, his arms straight to his side, and his shoulders tense. _What the hell was that?! _his mind was screaming at him. A dull, throbbing pain slowly rose in his throat, and he was clenching his jaw so tightly that his teeth were beginning to hurt. He didn't like this feeling... this _funny_ feeling.

"Tom! Are you listening to me?!" Tom relaxed his jaw and untensed his body, allowing himself to sit up and look at Dougie. "I've been talking to you! Have you even been paying attention?!" Dougie continued, placing his hands on his hips. His bare hips. Tom stared at him, his throat going dry again. When had he taken off his shirt? WHY had he taken off his shirt? But more importantly, why was Tom staring at his body? His smooth, tanned – albeit, a bit scrawny – body? "Tom! HELLO?!" Dougie asked loudly, waving his hand in front of Tom's face and snapping a few times.

"WHAT? SORRY! I'm listening!" he yelled, snapping his eyes up to Dougie's.

Dougie stared at him for a second, his eyes pouring suspicion. _You poor gay bastard,_ Dougie thought with a knowing smile as he ran his teeth gently over his lip ring. "I was saying... well, actually, I was asking when the party is!" he said with a grin, before pulling a shirt over his head.

"Uhh..." Tom made sure to look ANYWHERE but Dougie in his attempt to find a clock, which he managed to locate on the night stand next to Dougie's bed. "... It's already started."

"Oh my god! Then let's go!" He said, slipping his feet into his black and green checkered Vans. Sure, he probably wouldn't fit in, but he'd feel like he looked good. He walked over to Tom and grabbed him by the hand, beginning to walk toward the door. "Come on!" Dougie urged, pulling roughly on his arm.

Tom stood and walked around Dougie's bed, letting himself be pulled out of the room. "Well, he said, pulling his hand from Dougie's grasp and instead wrapping his arm around Dougie's shoulders. "I bet you've never been to a barn party!"

Dougie practically trotted down the stairs, excited to get out of the house. Maybe he would finally get a chance to meet some people! "Um, can't say that we have many barns on the beach," he said with a laugh as he descended the steps right out of Tom's arms.

"Well then, you're in for a surprize!" Dougie walked out the front door, walking right past his mom and not bothering to say a word about where they were going. So Tom turned to her and smiled. "We'll be back later!"

"Okay, stay out of trouble!" She called from the kitchen, where she was washing the dishes.

"We will! I promise!" Tom assured her, before closing the door.

Dougie had stopped about halfway down the driveway and was waiting for Tom, his arms crossed over his chest and his foot tapping fervently. "Are you done kissing my mom's ass now?" he asked, dropping his arms.

"Well, someone's gotta tell her where we're going!" Tom said as met up with Dougie.

"Why?"

Tom shook his head and half smiled. "I can't believe she just lets you walk out of the house without saying nothing! If I tried to do that, my mom would slap me!" he lectured, walking to his truck and opening the door.

"Why does she really have to know, though? I don't get it!" Dougie complained as he opened the passenger side door and climbed into the monstrously large truck. "I mean, what's next? 'Hey mom! I'm gonna go take a shit now! Just so you know where I am!' I mean, seriously!" he continued, buckling his seatbelt slowly.

"It's just nice for her to know where you're at! I'm sure she worries about you more than my mom worries about me!"

"And why would that be?"

"Cause you don't tell her anything!"

Dougie sighed and shook his head. "Whatever," he grumbled, pressing his forehead against the window.

"Don't 'whatever' me, mister! I'll kick your ass!" Tom joked, pulling the seatbelt across his chest.

"Oh, look at that," Dougie said with a smile. "I'm rubbing off on you! You're threatening to beat people up! I'm so proud!" He joked, patting Tom gently on the cheek.

"Yeah? Well I'm rubbing off on you, too!" Tom said with a smug smile.

"How so?" Dougie asked with an intrigued smile. Tom didn't say anything. He just smirked and ran his finger across Dougie's buckled seatbelt. Dougie looked down at the seatbelt, before scoffing quietly. "Oh shut up. I have to buckle up with you! Or did you forget the time when you tried to KILL me?" Dougie asked defensively, crossing his arms over his chest again.

"Oh, hush," Tom said, running his finger back up the seatbelt strap over Dougie's chest. Dougie swallowed nervously, keeping his eyes trained on Tom's finger on his chest. "You know you like it."

So the party turned out to be kind of boring. Where was the beer?! Where were the drugs?! Dougie wasn't all that pleased with this particular party, if he did say so himself. All they played was old country music, and they were dancing like... weird people. Dougie had never seen that kind of dancing before in his life! Apparently it was called line dancing. It looked like they all got together and practiced it or something, because they were all doing the EXACT same dance! It was just too freaky for the likes of him.

Although he did get a chance to talk to some of his classmates, and although he was different, they seemed to accept him, which made him happy. Now he would actually have people to talk to in class! "Mind if I sit here?" a girl asked, smiling at Dougie, and gesturing to the seat next to him.

Dougie looked up at her and shrugged his shoulders, clearing a few papers off of it. "Go ahead," he told her with a smile.

She smiled sweetly and sat next to him. "I'm Mary Joe," she said, holding out her hand to him.

Dougie took her hand and shook it gently. "I'm Dougie," he said with a nod.

"I know who you are," she told him, taking her hand back and putting it in her lap.

"You do?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah! Everyone knows you! You're the kid that wouldn't say the pledge of allegiance in class!"

Dougie let out a short laugh and nodded his head. "Yeah... that's me..." he said. He waited for her to yell at him, hit him, or just get up and leave, but she didn't do any of the following. She just smiled and him some more. "You aren't mad at me for that?" he asked, leaning back casually in his chair.

She shook her head and leaned a bit closer, putting a hand over the side of her mouth to keep what she was saying a bit more secret. "I thought that was awful brave, the way you stood up for what you believed in," she whispered, before sitting straight again and dropping her hand.

Dougie smiled and nodded his head. "Thanks," he said genuinely. Sure, he could be an ass... but only when threatened, really. And this girl was nowhere near threatening. She had dark brown hair which was braided into braids that came down over her shoulders, she was wearing a black cowboy hat, a tightfitting, plaid, button-up shirt, and a pair of dark blue jeans, along with – of course – cowboy boots. Her cheeks were dotted cutely with pale brown freckles, and her eyes shined a bright blue color. She was definitely one of the more attractive girls he'd ever met. But she looked young; probably about fifteen. "What grade are you in?" he asked curiously.

"I'm in the ninth grade," she said, her smile emanating innocence. "And you're a junior, aren't you?"

Dougie nodded his head, a bleak look crossing his features. "Unfortunately."

"Why unfortunately?" she asked, her big blue eyes staring right into his.

"I'm ready to get out of here," he said slowly, hoping that what he said wouldn't offend her.

"Why? You don't like it here?"

Dougie made an awkward face, chewing on his lipring for a moment. "It's not that I don't like it here..." he started, lying to hopefully spare her feelings. "It's that... I don't really _fit in_ here... you know?" he asked delicately. Although, the place was starting to rub off on him, whether he would admit it or not. He was actually starting to take other people's feelings into consideration before he spoke, which was something he'd never really done before.

"Well... we can all see that..." she said with a weak giggle.

"What the hell do you think you're doing talking to my girl?" A male's voice broke through their conversation. Both Dougie and Mary Joe turned to look at him, seeing none other than Dean.

"Hey baby," Mary Joe said with a smile, grabbing his hand.

"Not now, MJ," he said, pulling his hand from her grasp and instead, pointing at Dougie with it. "I don't wanna see you talking to her again! You're gonna rub off on her!"

Dougie sighed and shook his head. "We were just talking," he said calmly. If it could be avoided, Dougie would've preferred to not argue with the other boy, but Dean seemed to just have it out for him or something!

"Well it's gonna happen anymore, you understand?!"

Dougie blinked at him, his eyebrows furrowing. "She can talk to whoever the fuck she wants, you asswipe!" Dougie defended her, standing to face him. Dean was definitely bigger, that was for sure.

"You watch your language, you unpatriotic fool!"

"Ooh, are you Mr. T now?" Dougie asked with a laugh. This was his area of expertise.

"I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"Go ahead and try," Dougie said nonchalantly.

"I will! And then I'm gonna make you say that damn pledge! Or should I make you sing the anthem?" he asked forcefully.

Dougie shook his head and brushed past him. "What the fuck ever, you do what you want, but I stand by my right to not say the things I don't want to."

Dean turned angrily and followed Dougie to the middle of the room, putting a hand on his shoulder and turning him forcefully. "You're gonna say it, or I'm gonna knock your teeth in!" The room went silent and everyone started to stare at the two.

"Look, I'm trying to do the right thing here and walk away. I don't wanna fight with you, so just drop it," Dougie said, shaking his head slowly. Tom stared at him, actually proud of the way he was handling the situation.

"I'm not dropping it 'til you give your country the respect it deserves!"

Now Dougie was getting angry. "You give me one God damn thing that I should be proud of and I will run through the fucking street SCREAMING about how much I love this country!" Dougie snapped, his fist balling.

"Where should I start?! We made our own country!"

"By walking on the backs of others!"

"Who?!"

"Oh, how about the Native Americans whose country the colonists stole! Or maybe the Africans who the colonists kidnapped from their homes to use as god damn slaves!"

"So what? Theses damn niggers were asking for it!"

Dougie's mouth dropped, and before he knew what he'd done the back of his hand had met very roughly with the side of Dean's face. Dean's head snapped to the side and he stumbled back a few steps. The whole room gasped practically at the same time, but no one moved. "I DON'T WANT TO EVER HEAR YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN!" Dougie screamed, pushing Dean back some more. "If I EVER hear you say that word again I will fucking KILL you!" he continued, pushing Dean back again.

"What?! And next you's gonna tell me that they're equal to us white folks?!" Dean yelled, pushing Dougie back. Tom pushed his way quickly to the front of the crowd, standing by like some sort of body guard.

"They are no GOD DAMN different than you or me! We're all the same! If you cut someone they will bleed red! It doesn't matter what color their skin is!" Dougie continued, pushing him again.

"Oh, and I suppose fags are no different, neither?!"

And that was the last straw. Dougie threw his fist at Dean, hitting him square in the jaw. He hit him like a hammer, and Dean practically crumpled to the floor, holding his face. Tom jumped forward to stop it, but Dougie put a hand out. "LET ME DO THIS!" he yelled, staring Tom seriously in the eyes. Tom slowly took a step back into the crowd.

Dean stood up, shaking off his hand and spitting some blood out of his mouth. "Well hey, boys! I think I hit a nerve!" he said arrogantly. "I think little Miss Dougie over here's a little faggot!" he continued, looking around at the whole crowd. He turned back to Dougie who was staring at him, his entire body tense. "Is that true, Doug? Are you a fag?"

Dougie stared at him, his body shaking because he was so rigid. He was stuck between standing up for himself and lying. This had never been a problem for him before. Dougie loved being himself, and he wasn't ashamed of the fact that he was gay. But when his friendship with Tom was hanging in the balance, his instincts were shot. Should he admit to being gay and possibly jeopardize his friendship with the only real friend he'd ever had? Or should he lie to cover it?

"What do you got to say for yourself now, fag?"

Dougie took a deep, shaky breath. "Say it again, bitch," he spoke through grit teeth.

Dean leaned forward and smirked arrogantly. "Fag."

Dougie came completely unglued. He lunged forward and began punching Dean anywhere he could manage. And Dean had never been hit by someone so unexpectedly strong before in his life. He fell to the floor, covering his head with his arms and curling into a ball. But Dougie didn't stop. Instead he began to kick the shit out of him, alternating between kicking him in the back and in the stomach, hot, angry tears streaming down his face, and screaming the whole time.

"DOUGIE!" Tom screamed, running forward and grabbing Dougie from behind. He picked him up and pulled him back, Dougie's arms and legs swinging through the air.

"Oh my god! Baby!" Mary Joe yelled, running forward to where her boyfriend lay motionless on the floor, blood coming out of his mouth and nose.

"FUCKING LET GO OF ME! I'M GONNA KILL HIM! I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL HIM!" Dougie screamed, still kicking and swinging his arms violently.

"What the hell's going on here?!" Everyone's attention was drawn to the door, where the sheriff, of all people, stood. "I got a call from someone saying there was a fight!"

"It was him!" someone yelled, pointing at Dougie, who was still dangling in Tom's arms. "He did it! He beat up Dean 'cause he called him a fag!"

"Where's Dean?" The sheriff asked, scanning the crowd.

"Sheriff Andy!" Mary Joe called to him, her voice choked with tears.

He looked down and saw the bloody boy laying on the ground, his eyes clenched closed and his body shaking. "Jesus! Someone get that boy to the hospital!" he yelled, leaning down to pick him up. A few of his friends ran over and grabbed him from the Sheriff, taking him out of the barn, Mary Joe quick on their heels, along with a few others. "Boy, I'm gonna have to ask you to come with me," he said as he walked over to Dougie. "Tom, drop him." Tom stared at the sheriff for a moment, before nodding and letting him go.

Dougie didn't say a word as the handcuffs were clapped onto his wrists. He just let himself be slowly led away.

"Shit! I can't let him go to jail alone!" Tom whispered to a boy next to him.

"What the hell are you gonna do, then?" the boy asked, but Tom was already making his way across the room. "Tom! Don't be stupid!" The boy called after him, but it didn't matter.

Tom stood behind the sheriff and Dougie for a minute, not really believing what he was about to do. With a sigh, he grabbed the sheriff's shoulder and turned him around. Quickly he punched him across the face, pretending like he had intended on grabbing Dougie and running. "Tom! What the hell are you doing?!" the sheriff yelled, grabbing a hold of Tom's arm. Tom pulled his arm away and pushed him down, making a run for it. "Hey! Get back here! Stop them!" The sheriff yelled as he picked himself off the ground. A few boys stopped Tom in the doorway, and he stood still and waited for what was coming to him. "I'm gonna have to take you in too, Tom! I don't know what the hell's gotten into you, but I don't like it."

Tom sighed and shook his head slowly. "Shit."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: In this chapter the song 'Perfect' from Simple Plan is used. Even though the lyrics are slightly changed.

Tom and Dougie walked slowly together into the same holding cell, walking to separate sides of the cell and sitting on their own benches. The cell door slammed closed, at which Tom flinched very noticeably. He looked over to Sheriff Andy, who was staring at him with a very disapproving look. "I'm gonna call your parents and we'll see from there."

"Oh... my parents aren't in town..." Tom said quietly, folding his hands in his lap and sulking his head into his shoulders. "They're up in Little Rock for the week..."

"Is there a number I can call to get a hold of them?"

Tom shook his head slowly. "No... sorry... but I'm staying with Dougie and his family..."

The sheriff sighed and nodded his head. "Alright... Since I'm calling them anyway.."

Tom looked over at Dougie, who was staring at seemingly nothing, with the meanest face Tom had probably ever seen. "Dougie?" he asked quietly.

Dougie's eyes flickered over to Tom's. "What?" he asked, his voice low and harsh.

Tom stared at him for a minute, trying to see past the anger, but not being able to. "Why the hell'd you have to get in a fight?!" Tom hissed.

"You saw! I tried to walk away!"

"You still could've walked away from it! You didn't _have_ to slap him! Or push him! Or punch him! Or kick him!"

"And let him get away with what he'd said?! Let him go on believing what he was saying was right?!"

"Hey! You two keep it down in there!" The sheriff yelled, throwing the closest thing he could find – a banana – at the cell door.

Tom flinched away from it again, but Dougie just shook his head and pulled his knees up to his chest. "What–the-fuck–ever," he grumbled, before placing his head in his knees.

Tom was silent for another moment, just staring at Dougie. He looked so small; the way he was curled up. Slowly and quietly, he stood and walked over to Dougie, standing before him for a moment, before sitting. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly, resting his chin softly on Dougie's shoulder.

Dougie lifted his face from his knees but instead rested his cheek against them. The proximity of his and Tom's body _should_ have made him nervous, but it was strangely calming to him. He took a deep breath, but didn't say a word; just kept that serious demeanor about himself.

"Dougie?" Tom whispered, moving just a little bit closer.

Tom's breath felt warm against the sensitive skin of Dougie's neck and ear, and it made every hair on his body prickle. Parting his lips, he slowly let a shaky breath out, hoping the attention of the Sheriff wouldn't be drawn. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, his voice raspy.

"You're not scared?"

Dougie chewed on his bottom lip, his teeth and tongue sliding habitually over the sleek metal of his lip ring. Truth to be told he was scared shitless. He'd never been to a jail before in his life! Sure, he didn't know if this one would even count, considering they were the only two people there besides the Sheriff, and that was only a holding cell, it looked like. But he was scared shitless. "No," he lied quietly. Like Dougie Poynter would admit to being afraid? Ha.

Tom closed his eyes, leaning his head to the side so his head lay gently across Dougie's shoulder. "I am..." he said quietly. Dougie's head lifted, and he tilted his head to the side, laying it gently on Tom's. "I have never been in trouble before..." Tom continued, feeling strangely comforted by Dougie's minor action. He didn't know why he was in the position he was... but he managed to get there somehow.

Dougie sighed heavily, his knees dropping a little bit. "Everything's gonna be alright..." he said quietly.

The two sat in that position for almost three hours; Dougie with his back turned to Tom, his knees pulled to his chest and arms tucked around them; Tom sitting behind him, legs facing perpendicularly to Dougie and chest parallel, with his head in the crook of Dougie's neck. Dougie's words were the last words spoken between the two until Dougie's mother showed up, and the second her voice rang though the small building like a shrill screech, Tom was magically on the opposite side of the holding cell, as if the two had never had their intimate moment.

"DOUGLAS LEE POYNTER!"

Dougie dropped his face back to his knees and covered his ears with his hands. "Shit..." he mumbled, all sound being drowned out into his legs. All of a sudden someone was grabbing his wrist and had pulled him out of his position, causing him to fall to his knees on the floor, his eyes wide with shock.

"Come on, young man!" His mother called harshly. "GET UP!"

Dougie sighed and looked over at Tom, who was looking at anything but him or his mother. "...fuck."

The ride home was long and painfully quiet. Not a single word was exchanged between any of the three passengers. Dougie continually stole a glance at Tom through the mirror on the passenger-side visor, but the look was never returned. Tom's eyes didn't leave the window through the entire half hour long car drive. After a while, Dougie gave up and rested his head against the window. As they pulled into the driveway, Dougie's mom slowly pulled the car to a stop, but didn't get out of the car for a minute. She took a deep breath before saying, "Tom, living room, Dougie, kitchen." And then she got out of the car, leaving the two boys alone.

"God, I promised her nothing would happen!" Tom said, sounding rather panicked. "She said 'stay outta trouble,' and I promised her we would!" he continued, dropping his head to his hands.

Dougie turned and gave him a weak smile, placing his hand on top of Tom's head. "It'll be fine... trust me, she's never been a very harsh punisher and plus, you're not her kid. The most she'll do is scold you," Dougie started, tangling his fingers gently in Tom's messy, blonde hair. Hearing a sigh from the other boy, Dougie laughed quietly. "Come on, did you hear how much more mad she is at me? You aren't going to get it nearly as bad as I will..." Tom looked up and Dougie pulled his hand from his hair, flashing him a weak smile. "But the longer we make her wait, the angrier she's gonna get..."

"Yeah..." Tom quickly got out of the car, but Dougie waited a second longer. He knew he was in for it. He'd beaten the shit out of some kid! Oh, he was definitely going to get it. A knock on the window drew him out of the car finally. "You coming?" Tom asked, smiling for the first time in a few hours.

Dougie nodded and opened the car door carefully, making sure not to hit Tom as he did. They walked down the driveway, both dreading every next step they took more than the previous. When the door opened, Dougie's mother's voice cut through the still of the house like a razor blade in butter. "Dougie. I'm waiting." Dougie sighed and turned toward the kitchen. Tom gave him a weak smile and patted him gently on the back as he walked away.

As Dougie walked into the kitchen, he was ready for anything. "Look– "

"No. You don't talk. I talk." Dougie shut his mouth instantly, not wanting to cross her anymore than he already had. "What you did was completley unacceptable. You have NO excuse for fighting tonight! It was supposed to be about fun! And you STILL managed to screw that up, just like you screw everything else up in your life!" Dougie looked up at her quickly, his mouth hanging open with a mix of hurt and surprise. "Couldn't you just TRY to get along with the other people here?!"

"Aren't you even going to hear my side of the story?!" Dougie asked quickly, throwing his arms out to the side.

"DOUGIE! You put a boy in the hospital! Have you heard how he's doing?! He's seriously concussed! From the sounds of it you broke his nose, jaw, and a few ribs! And you're asking me to hear _your_ side of the story?!" She yelled, walking closer.

"I tried to walk away from him! But he kept pushing until I snapped!"

"And went PSYCHOTIC?!" She screamed. "Maybe I should have your head looked at! Because I didn't even know you were capable of doing such harm!"

"I'm sorry if I have a little bit of pent up aggression, mother. Maybe if I hadn't been dragged to the middle of Bumfuck, Whereverthehell, I wouldn't be so hostile!"

"There is nothing wrong with this place, Dougie! There's something wrong with _you_!"

Dougie couldn't believe the words he was hearing come from his mother's mouth. "Are you kidding me?! That kid still believes in slavery! Not only did he say that black people were below white people, but he said 'THEM NIGGERS WAS ASKING FOR IT!'" he finished, doing a killer impression of Dean, if he had to say so himself. "And you're trying to tell me that he didn't deserve it?!"

"People have different opinions! You can't beat everybody up for thinking a little bit differently than you!"

"Are you kidding me?! Then he attacked me! He called me a fag! And a FAGGOT! Do you have any _idea_ how hurtful that is?!"

"You are, aren't you?!" Dougie stood straight up and his face went blank. "Oh please, Dougie, don't look at me like that," she snapped bitterly. "I know about the things you did back home. You ARE a little fag, and there's NO denying it!"

"Oh, okay. I've fucked up my life and I'm a worthless fag. I see. Jeez, I think you just won the mom of the year award!" He yelled sarcastically.

"I don't know what to do with you anymore!"

"Then just fucking forget about me!" Dougie turned on his heels and stormed angrily out of the kitchen, walking right past Tom.

"DOUGIE! I'm not done with you, yet! You get your ass back here this minute!" But the door slammed closed, and she knew he was gone. She walked quickly into the living room, opening the door and looking for Dougie. But he was already out of site. It was dark and it was cold; she didn't know where he was going, but she wasn't all that worried about him at the moment. She turned quickly to Tom. "And you! I expected better from you! But you punched the sheriff?!" Tom cringed a bit, curling into himself. "What on earth would possess you to do such a thing?!"

He looked down at his feet, shame taking over every part of his body. "Dougie..." he muttered quietly.

"What was that?" She asked, leaning closer.

Tom sighed and looked back up. "Dougie," he said a bit more loudly.

"Oh, so he's getting into you, too, huh?!"

"No! Not like that! I was planning on doing nothing... but I knew he wouldn't be okay on his own... I didn't wanna leave him alone... so I... I punched the Sheriff." As soon as he was done speaking he looked directly down at his feet again, his cheeks turning red. He was waiting for more yelling, even a hit; hell, his parents would've slapped him for it! But nothing came. Looking up slowly, he saw Dougie's mom's tear streaked face staring at him. "I'm awful sorry! I have never been in trouble before, Madam. Honestly!" He told her quickly.

She sighed and wiped her face, shaking her head quickly. "No, it's not you, Tom... you did a rather selfless thing tonight... it may have been a very bad choice on your part, but you did it to protect a friend, and I can respect that." She spoke quietly, her body still shaking with anger. "Please... just... go find my son and bring him home," the end of her sentence turned into a sob, and she covered her eyes with a hand, shaking her head slowly.

Tom nodded and left the house, knowing instantly where he would be; the barn. Why the barn? Well, Dougie had found a sort of secret second floor. It was high enough that he could just duck back and no one would see him, and no one would think to look for him there, either. So really, it was his sanctuary. Tom walked around the back of the barn, taking the back entrance to create less of a scene with opening the big barn door. As he stepped inside, his ears were met with the sound of a guitar, and Dougie's voice was easily picked up along with it.

"Hey, mom, look at me. Think back, and talk to me. Did I grow up according to plan?" Tom walked slowly into the barn, wrapping his arms around himself as he did. It almost felt colder inside than it did outside, but Arkansas winters were known for that. Sure, the summers were hot, but the winters were cold. "And do you think I'm wasting my time doing things I wanna do? But it hurts when you disapprove all along..." Dougie's voice was choked with tears, almost every word coming out as a sob. Tom felt a sharp pain hit his chest, and he slowly moved his hand to cover where the pain had hit as he continued to listen.

"And now I try hard to make it. I just wanna make you proud. I'm never gonna be good enough for you. I can't pretend that I'm alright... and you can't change me..." Dougie burst into a short set of sobs, bending over his acoustic guitar and crying onto his hand. He hadn't let himself cry in years it seemed. He was just glad that no one else was around to see him at such a weak moment. He sniffed and took a deep breath, before continuing. "Cause we lost it all... and nothing last forever. I'm sorry I can't be perfect..." It killed Tom to hear Dougie crying. The boy had never shown weakness around him before; even in the holding cell, he was quiet and strong. "Now it's just too late... and we can't go back. I'm sorry I can't be perfect..."

Tom decided he'd listened idly to Dougie's sobs for long enough, so he quietly made his way up the ladder that lead to the hole in the little roof of the mini second floor.

"I try not to think about the pain I feel inside... did you know you used to be my hero?" Tom's head popped up slowly, and the chord Dougie was moving to play went flat. He looked over at Tom, giving him the 'deer-in-the-headlights' look, ceasing everything he was doing.

"Dougie..." Tom said gently as he pulled himself up and scooted across the floor next to his friend. "So that's your song?" he asked, pulling his legs in and sitting indian style. Dougie didn't say anything, he just looked down at the ground, tears still falling from his eyes. There was no stopping it once it had started. "I liked it," he said with a soft smile. "Can I hear the rest?" Dougie looked up at Tom, a sad look on his face. "I promise I won't laugh at you."

Dougie looked down at his guitar again, letting his eyes fall closed. With a sigh, he began playing the beginning of the second verse. "I try not to think about the pain I feel inside. Did you know you used to be my hero? All the days you spent with me now feel so far away, and it feels like you don't care anymore." Tom watched intently as Dougie sang, his voice still a bit airy, but not interrupted by sobs. "And now I try hard to make it. I just wanna make you proud... I'm never gonna be good enough for you. I can't stand another fight... and nothing's alright. 'Cause we lost it all... and nothing last forever. I'm sorry, I can't be perfect. Now it's just too late, and we can't go back. I'm sorry, I can't be perfect..."

Dougie closed his eyes tighter, letting himself get more into the song. "Nothing's gonna change the things that you said! And nothing's gonna make this right again! Please don't turn your back! I can't believe it's hard just to talk to you but you don't understand!" There was a moment of silence where Dougie didn't play, sing, or even breathe. Tom was rather taken back by the power and passion that was held in Dougie's voice; it made his heart skip a beat, it felt like. Slowly, Dougie raised his pick and began to plain the main riff again, his voice coming in softer than ever when he began to sing again.

"'Cause we lost it all... and nothing last forever. I'm sorry, I can't be perfect," he sang slowly, his eyes no longer squinted, but still closed. "Now it's just too late... and we can't go back. I'm sorry, I can't be perfect..." he continued to play the main riff, although he didn't continue to sing. His eyes squeezed closed again and tears began to pour freely from them once more. Pushing his guitar to the side, he pulled himself into a ball, covering his head with his hands and pulling roughly at the hair on either side of his blonde hair.

Tom's heart practically stopped in his chest at the sight. Without thinking about it, he reached over and pulled Dougie into his arms. Dougie's whole body fell over like an egg on the counter, and Tom held him close to his body, curling around him. "You're a real good singer," he said, hearing a stifled laugh from Dougie. "Hah! I heard that!" he said with a laugh. Dougie pushed against him, signaling for Tom to release his death grip on him. Slowly he sat up, staring down at his lap. "Hey, it's gonna be alright," Tom told him, wiping the tears from his face with the back of his hand.

"Obviously you didn't hear my conversation with my mom..." Dougie joked, giving off a weak laugh as he wiped his eyes.

Tom gave of an uncomfortable laugh. "Actually, I think the whole town heard you..."

Dougie sighed and shook his head. "God, she really hates me, doesn't she?"

Tom shook his head, lifting Dougie's chin up with his hand. "Not at all... you didn't see her crying..." Dougie stayed silent, staring deep into Tom's eyes. "She really does love you..." he continued, rubbing his thumb gently across Dougie's chin.

"Well she sure does have a hell of a way of showing it," he said bitterly.

Tom raised an eyebrow and smirked at him. "Sounds like someone else I know..."

Dougie sat back and looked at Tom with offense. "What?"

"Oh come on, Dougie! When was the last time you told your mom that you loved her?" Dougie stopped to think about it, not actually remembering the last time. Tom laughed and nodded. "See? It wouldn't kill you to pick her some flowers, or make her cookies... clean the house? Or even just be nice to her!" Dougie sighed and nodded his head. "Anyway, I think I have just the thing to cheer you up!"

Dougie looked up at Tom with an amused smile. "Really? And what would that be?"

"HAY JUMPING!"

A perplexed look took over Dougie's face. "Hay jumping?'

"Yeah! Look over the edge of this attic!" Tom instructed, crawling to the edge himself and peering over. Dougie did the same, looking down at the ground which seemed far, far below them. "Now, you see that stack of hay waiting to be bailed?"

Dougie looked over and saw it, giving a short nod. "Yeah..." he started, not putting the pieces together for a second. "Oh, wait. NO!" He yelled, looking at Tom with wide eyes. "You want me to jump from here... to there?! And land in a freaking pile of hay?!"

Tom smiled and nodded quickly. "Yeah! It's fuuuun!" he said with a grin.

"If it's so fun then _you_ do it!"

Tom shrugged and hung his legs over the edge. "But you gotta do it after me!"

"I'll see if you land okay, and then I might..." he said, not wanting to sound like a total wuss.

"Alright!" Tom grinned, waving shortly, before pushing himself off the edge. Dougie squealed quietly and leaned forward, peering over the edge. Tom gave off a bit of a yell, but landed on his butt and bounced off of the pile of hay, landing a bit further down it. He stood and looked up at Dougie with an expectant smile. "Come on! It's your turn!" He said, holding out his arms.

Dougie shook his head. "Uh-uh! I can't! I don't wanna die!"

Tom smiled up at him. "Would I let you die?" he asked, his smile soft and loving. Dougie stared at him for a minute, his cheeks turning pink. "I went to jail for you! I wouldn't let you die!" Tom joked loudly.

Dougie laughed and nodded his head. "Okay... fine..." he said as he scooted toward the edge. His hands clung tightly to the old wood as his legs dangled over. "But if I die... I'm totally suing you."

Tom laughed shook his head. "The trick is to land on your butt! If you land on your feet you'll go straight through the hay and to the bottom! And I don't wanna have to dig you out!"

"Oh, I'm glad you're so worried about my well being," he said with a roll of his eyes.

Tom rolled his eyes. "Oh, just get down here, you big baby!"

"Okay..." Dougie whined. Tom noticed him close his eyes, and got a terribly rude, but terribly funny idea. He snuck around the side of the hay stack, ducking down behind it. Dougie pushed himself off of the edge, keeping his eyes clenched as he fell, landed on his butt as Tom had instructed, and bounced off, much like the way Tom had. His eyes flung open and he looked around, his stomach still in his chest. "OHMYGOD," he screamed, his hands digging into the hay. "Tom! That was so scary!" he yelled, looking around quickly for Tom. But where was he? "Tom?"

Tom jumped up over the hay stack and landed on Dougie with his arms out. Dougie screamed, and the two fell back together, sliding down the side of the hay stack. When Dougie realized what had happened, he was laying diagonally on the hay, his head almost on the floor, his arm wrapped tightly around Tom's back, and Tom laying between his legs. He looked up at him, his eyes wide and his cheeks pink. Literally no thought was running through Tom's mind as he stared down at Dougie, his entire body growing rather hot. "T-Tom?" Dougie asked quietly, his grip on Tom becoming less traumatic and more tender.

"What?" he asked, his voice low. His nose grazed gently against Dougie's, his breath getting caught in his throat at the contact.

"Tom... don't freak out, okay?" Dougie asked quietly, his hands moving slowly from Tom's back to his shoulders.

"Why would I freak out?" Tom asked quietly.

"Because I'm going to kiss you." Dougie's eyes closed and his hands moved from Tom's shoulders to his face. He leaned up and brought his lips heatedly to Tom's, who met his lips with just as much passion, if not more. Tom pushed down into Dougie, his hands wrapping around Dougie's back and pulling him as hard against his body as he could. The two slowly worked their way down to the floor, Tom tangling his fingers in Dougie's hair. Dougie rolled his body up into Tom's, his downstairs feeling a bit of heat. He decided to try and push it to the next level and parted his lips, running his tongue cautiously across Tom's bottom lip.

And just like that, it all came crashing down around him. Tom's eyes snapped open and he scrambled up quickly. Throwing a hand over his mouth, he stared at Dougie for only a moment, who stared at him with confusion. "Oh god." And within the next few seconds, he was gone.

Dougie could feel his heart breaking even more as he watched Tom run away from him. Dougie slowly pulled himself up from the floor, climbed the ladder again, and curled himself into a ball on the upper floor, his whole body being taken over by sobs for the second time that night.

Tom ran into the house, startling Dougie's mom greatly. "Tom? What's wrong?" She asked quickly.

Tom looked at her, regretting the words to come from his mouth before he said them. "I just got a call from the Johnson's!" he started, running to the coatrack and grabbing his coat. He knew he was going to need it. From the feel of things, it was going to be a cold one. "They said some of our cows got out and are running round on their property! I gotta go round them up, and help them with some damage control!" He continued, throwing his coat on quickly. "I'll probably be gone all night, maybe even all day tomorrow..."

"Uhh..."

"I'm sorry, Madam! You got my cell number just in case! I have to go!" And with that he ran out the door, leaving Dougie's mom standing there in a stupor. But he didn't get a call from the Johnson's, and his cows weren't out. He walked down the street quickly, the ice that had already collected on the road making him slip every few steps. "GOD! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?!" he yelled, throwing his hands up at the sky. The over dramatic move caused him to lose his balance, and before he knew what was going on, he was laying on his back on the side of the road. "AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" His scream was loud, raspy, and full of hot, passionate, anger. "I'M NOT QUEEER!" he yelled, his face going rather red.

Slowly he sighed and dropped his hands from his face, staring up at the starry, night sky. Letting out a deep breath, he sat up and looked around. "I'm not queer."


	10. Chapter 10

Tom paced back and forth across his living room, contemplating telling his second lie in the past twenty four hours. He held his cell phone in both hands and folded them behind his back as he paced, his brow furrowed. Would it be obvious to Dougie that he was avoiding him? His little lie had bought him one day, but he knew he needed at least one or two more days before he could face his friend again. But that would require calling the house and lying to Ms. Poynter again! And Tom hated lying; he hated being lied to, but not as deeply as he hated lying to people. It just made him feel dishonest.

Despite his hatred for lying, he'd already made up his mind to call and extend his time at 'the Johnson's'. Really, he was at his house with no lights on and no fire going. Call him a little paranoid, but he didn't want anyone driving by and noticing the lights on and smoke coming from the chimney. Everyone in the town knew everyone's business, so they would probably stop by to see what was going on. And he didn't want that.

He looked at his phone, trying to figure out how to use it. He'd probably only used it about twice in his life, because, well, who would Tom Fletcher the farm boy call? His mum never liked the idea of him working in the middle of the field with no way to call for help if he needed it. So she got the phone for him, where she bought more minutes once they'd used them all up. She only put sixty minutes on it to begin with, and it had been in Tom's possession for almost two years. Never once had his mom needed to put more minutes on it.

"Alright... so I... punch in the numbers..." he said to himself slowly, punching each number in as if it took way more thought than it really did. "And then... I... push the green button.." He watched the phone for a second, before placing it to his ear. And then a thought struck him. _What if he picks up?!_ Before he had the time to think of a plan, the phone was picked up. Luckily enough for Tom, it was Dougie's mum.

"Hello?" she asked quietly.

"Hi, Ms. Poynter, it's Tom..." he said slowly.

"Oh, hello! Did you guys get everything taken care of?" Tom closed his eyes and sighed away from the phone mouthpiece. "Tom? You there?"

"Yeah. I'm here..." he said, opening his eyes and leaning against a wall. "Sorry, but we aren't done yet... those damn cows did a lot more damage than I thought they would, so I might be over here for another day or so..." he said, regretting every word coming out of his mouth.

"Oh... well that's alright. Just stay out of trouble, okay?"

"Yes ma'am…"

"And Tom?"

"What?"

"I mean it this time."

Tom was silent for a second, guilt almost overriding him. "Yes ma'am. No more trouble."

"Okay, good. I hope you finish soon!"

"Yes ma'am, we're working hard. But I gotta go now, more work to be done."

"Okay, just give me a call tomorrow, alright?"

"Yes ma'am, I will."

"Okay, bye bye!"

"Bye, ma'am." Tom snapped the phone shut and stared at it for a moment, before throwing it onto the couch across the room. "Damnit, it's fucking freezing in here..." he grumbled as he walked through his house, up to his room, and grabbed a big blanket to wrap around himself. He needed to think. What had happened between him and Dougie had been plaguing his mind since it happened. Every time he thought of it he could feel that strange, new, funny feeling rising in his stomach, and it sort of made him feel like throwing up. But it didn't make him want to throw up in a bad way, if that made sense. It didn't make sense to him, but that was the only way he could think to describe it to himself. Pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping another blanket around himself, he placed his head in his knees, hoping this would become clear.

"_Temperatures hit an all time low last night in Arkansas, getting to an amazing negative thirty degrees, breaking the old record of negative 29 which was set on February 13th, 1905. Dress warm, heat your houses, and STAY INSIDE. The ice on the road is THICK."_

"Oh, wow... I hope Tom doesn't have to drive anywhere," Joanne said quietly, turning to look at Chris with concern.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Chris assured her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

She nodded slowly, looking down at her lap. "Maybe I should go check on Dougie," she said quietly, making to get up.

"Hold on, little lady," Chris said, holding her down.

She turned to look at him. "What?" she asked impatiently.

"Maybe you should give him some space..."

She scoffed at him and rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, like that really works?"

Chris sighed quietly. "If you go bug him, you might just make him madder... just let him have some time to think things over. He'll come to you when he's ready..."

"Obviously you don't know my son..."

"What good is it gonna do if you go up there?'

Joanne sighed and sat back into his arms. "Fine. But if he hasn't come out by tomorrow afternoon I'm barging in with a plate of his favorite food," she said with a pout.

Chris laughed and nodded his head. "Alright, it's a deal."

Well, tomorrow afternoon had come [also known as 'Sunday morning'], and Dougie still hadn't left his room as far as his mum knew. She stood in front of his door, holding a tray with eggs, bacon, chocolate chip pancakes, toast, and orange juice, waiting for the perfect moment to knock. She wanted to get the point across that she was sorry, but she didn't know how without feeling like a complete ass. Yes, Dougie got some things from her. "Dougie, honey?" she asked, knocking on his door three times. There was a long silence in which she was just standing awkwardly. "Dougie? I'm sorry, okay... can I come in, please?" Still, no answer.

Now she was getting irritated. She'd made his favorite breakfast! And she'd apologized. He should've been in the hall kissing her feet already. "Dougie. I'm coming in. If you're naked, I'd suggest you cover up, because I'm not shy," she warned. Hearing nothing, not even scrambling, she sighed and opened the door. "Doug– " she cut off when she realized he wasn't in his room. With a furrowed brow, she set down the tray of food on his desk and looked around his room, before looking around the whole house. She didn't know if she should be angry or worried, but more of her was worried.

She walked over to the phone on the wall and rapidly dialed Tom's number. "Come on... pick up, you stupid hick!" she hissed, bouncing with nerves.

"Hello?" Tom asked, after several seconds of trying to figure out how to turn the phone on.

"Tom! Is Dougie with you?" she asked quickly.

"... uhhh... no, why?"

Joanne sighed and covered her eyes with a hand. "Have you heard from him?" she continued.

"No, not since Friday night... Is everything okay?"

"No, it's not, actually. I can't find Dougie anywhere."

"I'm sure he's fine... you know how he just walks out the door without saying nothing..."

Joanne bit down on her thumb, shaking her head slowly. "Normally, yes... but I haven't seen him since Friday night, either... I just have this bad feeling that... I dunno, something's wrong..."

"It's alright, Ms. Poynter..."

"It's so cold out there! And my baby's somewhere out there!"

"Here, I'll tell you what... if he's not back by sun down tonight, call me and I'll come back over and we'll go look for him."

She sighed and nodded her head, not that he could see it. "Okay... I'll talk to you later." And without waiting for a goodbye, she hung up the phone.

Hours went by where she was just circling, pacing, walking around the house, and quite frequently checking Dougie's room to see if maybe he'd snuck in through the window. _He is going to be in SO much trouble when he gets home_, she thought, trying to convince herself that he'd just left without saying goodbye. So, just for good measure, she waited until 9 PM before calling Tom, this time even more panicked than before.

Tom's mind was on Dougie's disappearance, too. He'd told Dougie's mum it was probably nothing, but he had this horrible feeling in his gut that something was wrong. And he knew Dougie's mum probably felt it, too. His phone ringing again made him jump and gasp. He grabbed for it and opened it, holding it to his ear. "Hello?!" he asked frantically.

"Tom... he's not home yet."

Tom was silent for a moment, every part in his body going tense. "He's not?"

"No... I don't think he ever came home Friday night..."

Tom swallowed nervously. "Alright, I'll be over as fast as I can."

"Tom, don't rush over here just for this. The news said to be careful because the roads are so icy, and the temperature is still dropping."

"Alright, ma'am. I'll be over there as soon as possible," he said, before shutting his phone. Covering his mouth with his hand, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. _This's all my fault... I shouldn't have run away from him..._ Slowly Tom's eyes opened and he stood from his bed, where he'd been for almost two days. He threw on a sweater and a jacket, before leaving the house. He'd gone the day before to get his truck from the Peterson barn, so it was sitting in his driveway, dirty as ever.

The entire drive to Dougie's house, his mind was on nothing but his friend. Or... more than friend? He liked the thought, but he didn't. It confused his mind too much, so he shook his head to get it out. After about a fifteen minute drive he was back to Dougie's house and pulling into the driveway carefully. Walking through the door, he was met with a warm house, and a very worried mother.

"Oh, Tom!" she greeted him, hugging him tightly. "I'm glad you're okay! I was worried about you on that ice!"

"Yeah... I'm fine." Tom was quiet and didn't have much to say, really. Right now all he cared about was finding Dougie. "So... he hasn't been home?" he asked, his voice gentle.

She sighed and shook her head. "I can't find him anywhere... Do you know where he might be?"

Tom thought for a moment.

"_I like it here," Dougie said quietly, looking over to Tom with a gentle smile. _

"_The barn?" Tom asked, looking over to the boy laying next to him with an amused smile. "Is it the smell that does it for you?" he joked, earning a smack on the arm from Dougie._

"_No one can find me here."_

"I wonder..." Tom started quietly. Their last conversation HAD been in the barn... so maybe Dougie hadn't left. "I'm gonna go check something..." he said mysteriously, before walking out the door, offoring no explanation. The second he opened the door, the cold air hit his face like a hard slap. "Oh, Jesus," he said, his entire body shuddering. Dougie would be crazy to stay out in that weather, so Tom figured he probably wouldn't still be in the barn. But where else would he go? He walked in through the back entrance, flipping on a light. "Dougie?" he called, his voice loud through the barn. There was no answer, so Tom walked a bit further into the barn. "Dougie, are you in here?" Still hearing nothing, he sighed and turned the light off again, walking out the door.

But little did he know Dougie WAS in the barn. "T-T-Tooom..." his voice was faint and stuttered with shivering. His eyes were half open, and he was staring at the corner of the room, curled into himself for warmth. He'd passed out after crying all Friday night, and woken up so cold he couldn't move. He figured it would warm up, but it didn't. If anything things were starting to feel colder; colder than he'd ever felt in his entire life. Gently, he had let himself fall asleep again, and when he woke up finally, his stomach was grumbling terribly loud, and he felt weaker than the last time he'd woken up, not to mention he'd lost feeling in practically every part of his body. "T-T-Tom..." He felt like he was yelling, but the word barely came from his throat. He coughed quietly, before letting sleep wash over him again.

"He's not around here..." Tom said as he walked through the door, the warm of the house making his cheeks burn and turn bright red. "I'm gonna drive to the next town," Tom explained.

"No! I don't want you driving on this ice!"

"But I have to!"

"No, it's not worth your life!"

"I don't care if I die!" he exclaimed suddenly, startling Joanne quite a bit. She stared at him with wide eyes, not sure where this new side to Tom was coming from. "I'm finding him if it KILLS me! This is my fault, and I'm setting it right!" he continued loudly, before storming out of the house, leaving Dougie's mom in the living room with wide eyes.

"Come on, honey... let's go," Chris said, putting his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Where?"

"Wherever it takes us to find him." So Tom took off in one direction, and Chris and Joanne took off in the other, while Dougie lay in the barn, getting weaker, colder, and hungrier as each second passed.

It wasn't until four in the morning that Joanne and Chris returned to the house to find no Tom.

Tom was wandering random towns, going further than Dougie could've possibly wandered , stopping every person he saw and asking frantically about a kid with a blonde, messy hair and lots of piercings. But no one had seen him.

Tom sighed and walked back to his truck, just sitting against it for a minute. The phone in his pocket began to ring, and he calmly pulled it out and opened it. He was getting strangely used to the thing. "Any luck?" he asked quickly.

"Tom, where ARE you?"

"Uhh... just a few towns over..." he said, looking around for a sign to tell him where he actually was.

"Where's 'a few towns over'?" she asked slowly.

"Uhh... I'm not really sure, to tell you the truth. At least five towns over."

"TOM! I want you to get back here NOW!"

"But– "

"No! There's no way he could've gotten over there!"

"I... I know." Tom closed his eyes and let his head droop.

"I want you to come back here right now. I'll call his father in a few hours. If Dougie went anywhere he probably found his way back to California."

Tom sighed and lifted his head. "Alright... I'll head back."

"Good, I'll see you when you get back."

"It could be a while..."

"That's fine... just get back here."

"Yes ma'am." Tom sighed again and closed the phone. Dropping it back in his pocket, he looked around himself one last time, before climbing in the truck and turning it around. He drove slowly with one hand on the wheel and the other propped against the door in order to hold his head up. He couldn't honestly say he'd slept in the past three days. He would occasionally doze off, but he never slept for more than thirty minutes, and it wasn't very restful. It seemed like whenever he closed his eyes he was reliving that kiss, and now this.

It took all of his might to keep from stopping in each and every town he'd already passed through, just to see if maybe someone had changed their mind, or Dougie would show up. But he knew Dougie wasn't there. He didn't know where he was... but he knew he wasn't in any of those towns. But he had to do SOMETHING. Doing nothing would've driven him even crazier than he already was.

It was ten in the morning when he finally got back to the house. He didn't like that he was there; he should've been where Dougie was, saving him. He walked into the house, grateful for the fire at last.

"Tom?" Joanne asked, drying her hands on a towel and walking over to him. "God, I was getting worried about you," she told him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

He hugged her back half-heartedly. "I'm sorry I didn't find him..."

"Oh, honey... it's okay, it's not your fault. You have NOTHING to be sorry about," she told him, pulling back and staring seriously up at him.

"I don't know what the hell's going on... it has never been this cold before," he continued, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"How cold does it normally get here during the winter?" She asked, trying to keep his mind off of Dougie.

"Normally around minus ten..."

"Have you eaten anything lately?" Joanne asked after a short silence.

Tom shook his head. He hadn't been, and he still wasn't hungry. "I'm not hungry..." he said.

"Oh, come on, you have to eat..."

"But I'm not hungry..."

"Well... will you at least take a cup of coffee?"

Tom looked up at her and smiled, giving her a nod. "Yeah," he said quietly, before making his way slowly into the kitchen. He looked around in a few of the cabinets before finally finding a coffee mug. He pulled it down and took it over to the coffee pot, filling it to the brim and taking a drink. It was strong, just the way he liked it. He held it before his face for a moment, taking in the smell of the coffee grounds.

"Oh shit!"

Tom turned and looked at Joanne with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"Oh, I don't have a fucking calling card! I can't call Dougie's god damn father!"

Tom allowed himself a smirk and a half laugh. "You know, he's a lot like you," Tom told her.

"Who? Dougie?"

Tom's smile faded and he nodded his head. "He curses like you."

Joanne's face went red, and Chris snorted into his coffee cup. Tom laughed quietly at the scene he'd just caused.

Tom shook his head at her. _Just like her_ he thought. He hated closing his eyes because Dougie's face popped into his mind. He could picture every little crevice in his face. Why? He didn't even realize he'd studied his face that much.

"Well, like I was saying..." she started, breaking Tom out of his daydream of Dougie's face. He looked up at her, his eyes drooping a bit. "I have to go find a phone card somewhere, because we don't have long distance... so I'll be back," she said, grabbing her coat and purse from the coat rack that was placed near the front door.

"I'll go with you," Chris said. "Tom, you gonna be alright here?" he asked, turning to look at him.

Tom nodded before taking another sip of coffee. "I'll be fine."

"You should really get some sleep," Joanne told him, flashing him a half smile.

Tom nodded just to make her happy. "See ya later," he called to them as they walked out the door.

He watched as their car pulled from the driveway and drove away. Slowly he walked through the house with his cup of coffee. He needed somewhere to be alone, where he could think. He knew Dougie needed him, he just didn't know where he would be. With a sigh, he walked out through the back door, his body beginning to shake when he left the warmth of the house and went outside. It still felt as if the temperature hadn't risen. According to the news it was negative 40, and it wasn't supposed to come up much for a few days. "Hopefully this is the worst..." he said quietly to himself as he walked out to the barn.

He was afraid he was never going to see Dougie again. He walked slowly into the barn, sipping carefully at his coffee.

He climbed slowly up the ladder, closing his eyes when he reached the top and pulling himself onto the floor. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around himself, trying to conserve body heat. He didn't think he'd ever been so cold in his life as he was at that moment, and it only made him worry about Dougie even more. His mind was slowly coming to conclusions about Dougie and the way he felt about him, but it was a very slow, painful process. His mind was driving him nuts with all of his contradicting thoughts.

"God damit," he muttered, picking up a stick and tossing it somewhere behind him. It hit something, and he flinched and turned quickly, making sure he hadn't broken anything. And that's when he saw the back of the person he'd been looking for. "Dougie!" he yelled, crawling over to him quickly. He touched his shoulder and shook him gently, but Dougie didn't move. "Dougie?" he asked, turning him over carefully. Brown eyes weren't met with blue ones, as he'd hoped would happen. Instead he was met with Dougie's pale face and lips so cold they'd turned purple.

"Hey, Dougie... wake up," Tom said, touching his cheek gently. But almost as soon as his skin had touched Dougie's, he pulled his hand away. "Oh my god, you're so cold," he said, his voice struck with worry. "Wake up," he continued, shaking Dougie a bit more vigorously. His eyes filled with tears and he pulled Dougie onto his lap, patting his cheek repeatedly. "Please... wake up." Dougie's face tipped to the side and his eyes stayed closed. "Dougie, you can't..." Tom moved Dougie's face to face his again, rubbing his cheek gently. He'd never touched anything so cold. "Wake up! Wake up! Come on, wake up! Please... just, wake up..."


	11. Chapter 11

"You can't die, Dougie," Tom said quietly, stroking his cheek gently. "I need you here..." But still, there was no response. Leaning down slowly, Tom wrapped his arms around Dougie and pulled his small body up against him, his entire torso practically encasing him. Running his fingers gently through Dougie's hair, he began to shake, but this time not from the cold. Tears actually began to pour from his eyes as he held his friend, his body feeling so small and so weak in his arms.

"Tom…"

Tom's eyes widened and he pulled back, looking down at Dougie, whose eyes were scrunched closed. "Oh thank God," he said quietly, rubbing his hands over Dougie's cheeks quickly.

"Tom... I thought... I told you... not... to freak..." His voice barely escaped his throat, but Tom still heard him anyway. Dougie's eyes slowly opened, and he looked up at Tom with a weary smile. "I'm sorry that I... that... I..."

Tom shook his head quickly, a tear sliding eloquently down his cheek. "We are not gonna talk about that right now, alright?" He cried quietly. "Right now I need to get you inside... Do you think you can climb down the ladder?" Dougie's eyes rolled back and his eye lids fluttered shut, his breathing slowing down again. "Dougie!" Tom shook him gently, causing him to snap his head back up and open his eyes again. "I need you to stay awake for me." Dougie nodded slowly. Tom stood and looked around. "Shit, you are not gonna be able to do this..." Tom mumbled as he looked down the ladder. It was too steep, and Dougie could barely keep his eyes opened.

"Alright, I'm just gonna have to take you down with me," Tom decided. He looked down at Dougie, before picking him up bridal style. Dougie's arms wrapped weakly around his neck, and it caused Tom's burning desire to save him to increase. "Hold on... this could hurt a bit..." he warned, wrapping his arms more tightly around Dougie. He walked slowly to the edge, looking down at the bail of hay below them. "Oooh, shit..." he muttered, looking up at the ceiling nervously. "Alright, here we go," he said, his voice sounding forced. Taking a deep breath, he walked off the edge, making sure to bend his legs up so he would land on his butt before hitting the hay.

They landed after a short second, and Tom made sure to lean back so he wouldn't fall forward onto Dougie. It took a minute, but he managed to stand with Dougie, and he left the barn as quickly as he could. Dougie didn't move in his arms; didn't shiver, didn't twitch... nothing. "Hey, you still awake?" he asked, giving Dougie a shake. Dougie nodded his head against Tom's chest, letting his grip loosen. Tom walked ahead dismally, his fingers digging lightly into Dougie's arm and the material of his pants. Never before had he felt so scared as when he turned Dougie's cold body over and thought he was dead. The incident was speeding up his brain, and his view on Dougie was becoming clearer to him rapidly.

When he walked into the house, the heat hit him like a blast of hot air. Dougie cringed rather noticeably and sank deeper into Tom's arms. His body was beginning to unthaw, meaning he was feeling things again; namely how cold he was. Before at least he couldn't feel it after a while because he was so numb, but now every touch, every move, every shiver hurt.

Tom walked through the house to the livingroom, setting Dougie down on the couch gently. He stayed on his knees in front of him for a moment, their faces mere inches apart. Tom placed a hand gently on Dougie's cold cheek, staring into his eyes tenderly. "Alright, I'm gonna go get some blankets," he said gently, dropping his hand from Dougie's face. Dougie nodded and closed his eyes, leaning back against the couch. "Don't go falling asleep while I'm gone, you hear?" Dougie's eyes opened and he nodded slowly. Tom stared at him for a moment, worried about leaving him alone for too long. His eyes were rather glazed over, and he looked like he could die at any second. Hell, Tom even thought he was dead at one point.

"What?" Dougie asked quietly.

Tom just stared at him for another moment. He didn't know what he would've done had anything actually happened to Dougie; had Dougie actually... died. "Nothing," he said quietly, before shaking his head and walking out of the room. At least Dougie seemed to be doing fine. He hadn't been shaking all that much, for starters. Tom walked up the stairs to Dougie's room, getting his big, fluffy comforter from his bed.

Doing a glance over on the room for anything else he might need, but seeing nothing, he headed back down the stairs. "Hey, Doug, are you hungry or anything?" he asked, as he walked back into the livingroom. He looked over at Dougie and his eyes widened. He was on his side in a ball on the couch, his entire body shaking violently. "Jesus," he mumbled quickly, before jogging over to the couch. Grabbing the underside of Dougie's body, Tom pulled him up to sitting, before forcing him to stand yet again. Dougie's eyes remained closed as Tom slid the blanket quickly around his shoulders. He was waiting to be let back down, but it never came. Instead he felt Tom's body against his, and strong arms being wrapped securely around him.

Dougie's eyes slowly opened and found himself unable to pull himself from Tom's grip long enough to look at him, so he just settled on nuzzling his face in Tom's chest, who had encased himself in the blanket with Dougie. "Wh..what are you d-d-doing?" He asked quietly.

"Haven't you seen it in the movies?" Tom asked with surprise. "I'm using my body heat, dumb ass!"

Dougie let out a quiet laugh. "C-can w-we n-n-not s-stan-nd?" Dougie asked shyly. He felt like he could pass out at any second; he wasn't even holding himself up, as it was. "I'm f-feeling a l-little w-weak..."

Without saying a word, Tom plopped down on the couch, pulling Dougie down with him. He laid back all the way, of course, pulling Dougie down with him, and holding him tightly to his body. Dougie sighed once Tom had settled himself, and snuggled the side of his face against Tom's chest once again. It felt warm; something which he was very grateful for.

The two laid like that for hours. Dougie's shivering eventually died down and once he had drifted into sleep he was dead to the world. Tom, however, was a different story. He barely even allowed himself a blink; his mind was racing, along with his pulse. He could feel his heart beating in every part of his body, and it was beating abnormally fast. Why hadn't Dougie come inside? Tom knew it was his fault that Dougie was out there, but was this Dougie's way of attempting suicide? He looked down at the top of Dougie's head, his normally very stylish hair, crumpled and crusty looking.

He moved very slowly to get up, but the feel of Dougie's small fingers digging into his chest ceased all movement; breathing included. His jaw tensed, Tom drew in a slow, deep breath through his nose, his chest rising gradually. How could one person stir such feelings in him? The part that scared him the most was starting to understand what those feelings were. And he didn't like them. He gently let out his breath, it coming out shakily through barely parted lips.

Again, he moved to get up, this time not disturbing Dougie in the slightest. Once up, he tucked the blanket around Dougie, and stared down at him, noticing him beginning to shiver a bit again. He turned and walked slowly up the stairs to Dougie's room, the look on his face absolutely blank, and portraying nothing of what was going on in his head. _I almost killed him. It's my god damn fault he's in this mess... 'cause I ran away... 'cause I was scared... 'cause he's a boy... and I'm a boy... and... we... he... I... it... we..._ He stared down at Dougie's bed as he thought, his cheeks getting rather red. Slowly he picked another blanket from Dougie's bed and a pillow. He clenched them tightly in his hands as his thoughts progressed. He couldn't make himself even think the words. ... _we fucking..._ "GOD DAMN IT!" he yelled, throwing the pillow and blanket back on the bed.

"It didn't mean nothing! Why can't I say it?!" he asked himself angrily. Covering his eyes and forehead with a hand, he shook his head slowly at himself. He wanted to tell himself that it had happened for no reason; it didn't mean anything; it hadn't left an impression in his mind, but he knew that would be a lie. And, gosh, Tom hated lying. "Alright..." he started, dropping his hand and looking down at his feet. "I'm just gonna say it... it happened... no need to lie about it... 'cause I know it happened... and he knows it happened... and it's not the end of the world... that... me and him... k-" Tom cleared his throat and closed his eyes tightly. "We... we kissed."

Once the words came from his mouth, it was like a new light had been shined upon the subject. He took in a deep breath and exhaled it quickly. Looking down at the blanket and pillow, he picked them up again and walked back downstairs. As he walked closer to Dougie, his mind was racing with new questions; not denying what had happened, but asking why it had happened. Was there something about Dougie that he was drawn to? Well, he knew that was true... but what was it? He looked down at Dougie, his gaze curious. He threw the other blanket over him and tucked it around his body, noticing the shivering ceasing again. Then the leaned over Dougie and gently placed his hand on the back of Dougie's head, lifting it up carefully, sliding the pillow under his head, and very carefully laying it back down on this pillow.

Dougie's eyebrows and nose scrunched up for a second, and Tom was afraid he'd woken him, but after a second his facial features relaxed, and with a quiet moan, he was back to sleeping soundly. Tom, however, didn't move. He continued to hover over Dougie's face, staring at him with an intrigued look in his eyes. There was something strangely appealing about the way Dougie's face looked. He had long eyelashes for starters; longer than any girl's he'd ever seen; and they were jet black against his pale skin. And what pale, but soft looking skin it was! He'd never seen skin like Dougie's before. It really made him want to touch it. So he did. Gently he ran his fingers over the smooth, flawless surface of Dougie's cheek, the small action sending goose bumps down his own arms.

He ran his fingers gently over Dougie's eyebrows, which, like every other part of his body were flawless. He'd never actually appreciated anyone's eyebrows before; it seemed like such an odd thing to appreciate! But Dougie's were nice... not like his dad's big and bushy ones! He continued down to his nose, running his finger down from the bridge to the tip, and running this finger over the ring in it. He'd never met anyone before with a nose like Dougie's, or piercings like Dougie's. Maybe that was why he liked him... As interesting as he'd found the nose ring, he was also entertained by each loop in Dougie's ears [two in each lobe]. He batted at them playfully like a kitten would, strangely not bothering Dougie in the slightest. And then he moved down to the final ring; the lip ring.

Running his finger gently over the smooth metal of the lip ring made the feel of it pressed against his lips come raging back into his memory. It was a bit uncomfortable at first, but he hadn't really thought about it all that much in the moment. The whole thing was uncomfortable, so maybe it was fitting for Dougie to have an awkward piercing centering his lip; his beautiful... beautiful lip. Not that the bottom was anymore beautiful than the top. He'd never seen a smile like Dougie's before, and he'd definitely never seen or felt lips like Dougie's before. Running his thumb over Dougie's lips gently made a strange, hot feeling rise in his stomach, and he was strangely tempted to kiss Dougie again.

He wanted to know why it had happened. He wanted to know if it was the moment... or if it was Dougie.

Taking a deep breath, he lowered himself until he was mere inches away from Dougie's face. Swallowing nervously, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips ever so gently to Dougie's. All thought escaped his mind when he felt Dougie actually kissing him back. He could feel his lips melting into Dougie's as the rest of his body melted into goo. He felt small hands gently placed on his cheeks, and he was suddenly aware that Dougie was awake. Moving closer, he pulled Dougie's hands from his cheeks and intertwined his fingers with Dougie's, carefully deeping the kiss. He didn't know what he was doing, but he couldn't stop himself this time. This time it felt nothing but good.

He lifted his lips slowly and pressed his warm forehead against Dougie's cold one. Whether it was the contact with the cold skin or the kiss that made him tremble, he didn't know. "Tom?" Dougie's voice barely escaped his throat; he sounded stale; cracked; like he hadn't had any water for weeks. Tom bit down on his bottom lip and kept his eyes closed, his fingers still pressing into the backs of Dougie's hands. He couldn't make himself move or say anything; he just relished in the after-feelings of the moment. "What was that?" Dougie asked breathlessly, his eyes burning below the eyelids.

Tom's breath escaped his lips shakily and he kept his forehead pressed tenderly to Dougie's. _Stupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupid!_ He hadn't meant to wake Dougie up, he'd just wanted to kiss him to remember what was so great about it the first time! He was so shocked the first time he couldn't even really feel it... so he just wanted to know. And it set his mind spinning into a million different directions at once. He found himself thinking new, weird things, and he wanted nothing more than to be alone with his thoughts so he could figure them out.

"Tom?"

Tom swallowed nervously and looked down at Dougie finally, whose blue eyes stared questioningly into his own chocolate ones. Clearing his throat, he simply shrugged his shoulders. "Haven't quite figured that out, yet," he said quietly.

Dougie stared at him for a moment, before nodding his head slowly. "I'm gonna pass out now, okay?" he asked weakly, his eyelids drooping considerably.

"Okay, go back to sleep," Tom instructed, touching his cheek gently. Dougie's eyes rolled up, his eye lids fluttered closed, and his head fell back against the pillow once more. Just like that, he was out like a light. Tom sighed and ran his hand gently across Dougie's forehead, noticing how warm it felt on his skin. He looked up when he heard Joanne's and Chris's voices.

As the two walked in through the door, they were met quickly by Tom, who, in a very hushed tone said, "I found him!"

Joanne's eyes widened, before a very relieved look came over her entire body, her face and shoulders relaxing as she let out a deep sigh she felt that she'd be holding in for the past few days. "Oh, thank the Lord," she muttered, glancing up at the ceiling. "Where was he?"

Tom's mouth opened to tell her, but he stopped himself before he actually spilled the beans. If he told her the truth, Dougie would lose his hiding place because she would know about it! He hated to do it, but he knew he had to lie to her yet again. "I, uhh... i found him outside..." His stomach flipped as he said it, but he knew he didn't really have a choice in the matter.

"OUTSIDE?!" she yelled, dropping her bag of groceries on the ground. Chris was quick to react, but not quick enough to save the eggs from dropping all over the floor, along with the rest of the bags contents.

Tom shushed her quickly, throwing a finger over his lips, and turning to look to make sure Dougie was still asleep on the couch. "He's passed out right now," he whispered, turning to face her again.

"Oh my God," she muttered, brushing past Tom quickly and rushing over to the couch. She kneeled down next to him, putting her hand instantly on his forehead. "Oh, my baby!" she cried, removing her hand from his hot forehead. "He's burning up!" She stood and speed-walked back past Tom and Chris and into the kitchen.

"So, uhh... what was he doing outside?" Chris asked as he bent down to pick up the groceries that had been dropped on the floor.

"I don't know..." Tom replied, shoving his hands uncomfortably into his pockets. "I was just taking a little walk outside and I found him behind some bushes. He's probably just hanging out with the animals... you know how he likes them..."

Joanne burst past them again with a bowl filled with cold water and a wet washcloth, which she then put on his forehead gently. Chris looked to her, then back to Tom. He knew he was lying to him; it didn't take a genius to see it. Where he had found Dougie or why he was lying was a complete mystery to him. He knew Tom to be a good, honest boy, so he also knew if Tom was hiding something, it was for a good reason. "Well, there's no need for you to stay up now that he's back," Chris told Tom' patting him on the shoulder, before making his way into the kitchen.

"No, I'm fine..." Tom said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"He's right." Tom looked up at Joanne, who was looking between him and Dougie's forehead. "You need sleep, kid." Tom just shrugged. Joanne sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well, I know you need a shower, at least, right?"

Tom smiled and nodded his head. "I guess a shower won't hurt," he joked.

"If you feel the need to pass out, wait until you get out of the shower, because I don't wanna have to go in there and get you when you're naked." Tom shook his head and turned to walk up the stairs, muttering under his breath about how much alike her and Dougie were at times, no matter how much they both denied it. "And don't come back until you've had at least eight hours of sleep!" she called up the stairs at him. Tom stopped at the top of the stairs and looked back down at her, giving her a nod.

He sighed and turned to the right, walking in the opposite direction of Dougie's room, to the bathroom. He pushed the door open and flicked the light on, before closing the door behind him. He was running on auto-pilot by this point; he didn't even realize he'd gotten himself into the shower until he'd been in it for a good five minutes. Dougie was completely occupying his mind. He leaned against the back wall of the shower, his head hanging down to his chest, and the water hitting the back of his head, sending water trickling down his face, neck, and body.

What was it about Dougie's kiss that made his stomach squirm and cheeks flush? No one had ever risen these feelings in him before. He couldn't help but feel that it was because Dougie was so different. There was something absolutely endearing about him, and Tom found himself wanting to spend more and more time with him as each day passed. And now... all he wanted to do was kiss him again. But why?

I guess one could call Tom a puppy; a big, cute, curious puppy-dog. He didn't just want to accept things for what they were; he wanted to know WHY they were what they were. He wanted to know why he liked the things he liked... and he wanted to explore them. But this was something he shouldn't have been exploring by his society's standards. He knew if anyone found out about what had happened... A lot of people would be less than thrilled, we'll leave it at that.

But the more he thought about them, the less he cared about them, and he just became all the more aware of his feelings for his friend. His friend that was a boy. And it was strange to him that the word _boy_ wasn't the one circulating in his mind at that moment.

It was the word _love_.


	12. Chapter 12

Sleep: a regularly recurring condition of body and mind in which the nervous system is inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended.

Sleep seemed like such a simple thing, really. Everyone slept; babies slept, children slept, adults slept, gorillas slept, and yes, even teenagers slept. So why, then, was this particular teenager having such difficulty sleeping? Tom turned over onto his side and stared at Dougie's wall, his eyes burning with fatigue. How long had it been since he'd actually slept? He was too tired to do the math at the moment, but he could pretty much count that it'd been since Thursday night that'd he had a decent nights sleep. Every muscle in his body was aching, heavy bags circled his eyes, and his eyelids were hanging at half-mast.

He was most sure that he had never been so tired in his entire life. So why was it that he couldn't fall asleep? Dougie's mum told him not to come back downstairs until he'd had some sleep, so he decided to actually try and obey her orders. Dougie was in the house, getting warm, and passed out. He was safe at last. So why shouldn't he dip his toes into the pool of sleep, too? He'd probably done more worrying about Dougie than anyone else! And he was the one that found him. So he felt he deserved a few hours of sleep.

He sighed and turned onto his back, staring up, instead, at the ceiling. After a while he turned his head to the side again, looking out over Dougie's room, which he had decorated since Tom had last been in it. He sighed and looked toward the frost-laced window, admiring the way the sun made the ground glisten and sparkle. "Sun's coming out finally..." he muttered, pulling another of Dougie's blankets higher over his chest. Looking back toward the wall, he buried the side of his face in another of Dougie's pillows. The kid sure did sleep with a lot of blankets and pillows... a lot more than Tom would ever know what to do with.

Tom inhaled deeply through his nose, the sweet scent of Dougie filling his nostrils and overwhelming his senses. He'd never actually thought of Dougie as having a smell before, but now that he smelled it, he recognized it instantly. Curling his knees up to his chest, he pulled the blanket up over half of his face and curled his fists in it, continuing to smell the boy's natural scent. It was kind of a relaxing scent, if he did say so himself. "They should bottle this," he muttered to himself jokingly, his eyes falling closed slowly. It burned to close his eyes, but it felt oh so good at the same time.

Finally he could feel himself settling into sleep. Who knew the essence of Dougie could be so soothing? The only thing that could probably comfort him more at that precise moment was Dougie himself; like when they were laying together on the couch. It was unsettling to him, but at the same time, it was more comfortable than he'd ever been. Dougie's face began to fade into his mind; his smile, his eyes, his eyelashes, his nose, his hands, his lips... Tom thought he was the most beautiful human being he'd ever seen.

He sighed heavily, his and Dougie's situation perfectly clear in his mind for once. Whereas before he'd been freaking out about the whole thing, now he knew exactly what to think about it, and he knew exactly what it meant: he loved Dougie. He was meant to love Dougie; that's why Chris and Joanne got together, he thought. Had they never gotten together, Dougie would've never gotten to Arkansas, and Tom would've never had the chance to meet him. So he supposed he should probably thank Chris and Joanne for that... but they didn't need to know. As far as he was concerned, NO one needed to know. Because although he'd accepted it, it wasn't okay. It was a sin.

And he was forced awake again. What was he doing? Why was he subjecting to this? Dougie must've been playing magic tricks on him or something. Maybe the cold was getting to his brain. He wasn't gay. Not in the slightest. Although, he couldn't recall ever finding any girl interesting. But at the same time, there wasn't a single guy before Dougie that he found interesting! So maybe he didn't fit under a category. If he wasn't homosexual, and he apparently wasn't heterosexual... was he...Dougie-o-sexual?

He wanted to tell himself he didn't like Dougie, because in his mind it was a sin against God. Men didn't like other men, and the same went for women and women. It just wasn't holy. It wasn't Adam and Eve. He didn't want to go to Hell! He'd always been a good boy! Shouldn't God love him for that? _Maybe God isn't real..._ he found himself thinking. _What the hell's so god damn great about a God that doesn't accept everyone?_ His brain was beginning to hurt, and he was pushing himself further and further away from the sleep that he was so close to accomplishing.

He closed his eyes and took another deep breath to clear his mind, and Dougie's scent sent more tingling sensations in all sorts of weird places all over his body. _Maybe I just shouldn't care about God... 'cause i'd be lying to myself if I tried to tell myself that kissing Dougie didn't feel good._ He sat up slowly, shaking his head at his own thoughts. Never in a million years would he have ever expected himself to be thinking such thoughts. Kicking his legs over the edge of the bed, he placed his feet gently on the ground. He padded quietly across the floor, before opening the door and making his way somberly down the stairs.

"I thought I said eight hours!" Joanne scolded him as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He looked up at her with an apologetic smile and a shrug of his shoulders. "God, if only your mother could see you, now! It looks like I have Death himself standing in my living room!" she continued, before wiping Dougie's face off with the cold, wet rag.

"Is he alright?" Tom asked, ignoring her statement, and walking over to look down at Dougie. His face was red and covered in sweat, and he moved around uncomfortably in his sleep, making the occasional moaning sound. "He's not looking so good," Tom pointed out with concern.

"He was doing fine," Joanne started, placing the rag back in the bowl of cold water, wringing it out, and placing it back on his forehead. "But then he kept getting colder, so we piled a bunch of blankets on him, and then about an hour after putting the sixth blanket on him, he started sweating and kicking them all off..." she continued quietly, rubbing the cloth over his hot, wet skin again.

"He hasn't woken up?" Tom asked, kneeling down on the ground next to him and placing a hand gently on his forearm.

Joanne shook her head, placing the rag back on his forehead and deciding on leaving it there. "He's dead to the world."

Tom sighed and rested his head against the side of the couch cushion next to Dougie's head. "I'd gladly trade places with him," Tom muttered quietly, letting his burning eyes close for a minute. Now Dougie's scent was stronger, and mixed with the salty smell of sweat and body heat. It was a bit sickening, really. Not because it smelled bad, because in Tom's opinion, it didn't really. But there was a sick odor to him, telling Tom something was wrong. The way he moaned and shifted in his sleep was unsettling.

And then he began to shake again. Tom sat up and looked back at him with concern. He was sweating and kicking uncomfortably, and yet his body was shaking with cold. He didn't understand, and he didn't know what to do about it. He looked up at Joanne, who was staring down at him with a hand over her mouth. "I'm gonna go find the thermometer," she said shortly, before walking away.

Tom watched her walk away, then turned back to Dougie. He grabbed the washcloth and began to wipe the sweat off of Dougie's face again. It worried him how much Dougie was sweating; even during the summer he'd never known Dougie to sweat. It made him nervous. Dougie moaned and scrunched up his face, before turning onto his side to face Tom, burying half of his face in the couch, and digging his hand into the couch cushion. Tom gently placed his hand over Dougie's. As if by instinct, Dougie turned his hand and grasped Tom's so tightly it actually hurt Tom's hand.

Joanne walked back into the room, and Tom didn't even have time to drop Dougie's hand. He knew it would look suspicious if he did, so he just shrugged it off and kept his grip on Dougie's hand. "Okay, let's see..." she muttered as she pushed the button. It beeped a few times, and she moved to put it in Dougie's mouth and under his tongue. That was when she realized even if she DID manage to get it in his mouth, she would have a hell of a time getting it to stay under his tongue. "Oh, for Heaven's sake," she grumbled, before turning it off and storming out of the room again.

Tom sighed and pulled his hand away from Dougie, figuring she hadn't noticed before. He wiped his hand on his pajama-bottoms, the heat from Dougie's hand making his own hand sweat some. When Joanne came back into the room, she had another contraption, one that Tom hadn't ever seen before in his life. It looked like a big telephone, but with a weird poky thing on the end that he imagined would make talking on the phone rather uncomfortable after a while. "What's that?" he asked, looking up at her as she walked over to them again.

She pushed a few buttons, put a weird plastic thing over the weird poky thing, and stuck it in Dougie's ear. Dougie groaned and hid his face deeper into the couch, which only gave her easier access to the ear she was going for. "It's another kind of thermometer," she told him. "It's faster and more accurate," she continued, pulling it from Dougie's ear upon hearing the contraption beeping. "Oh god," she said, studying it closely.

"Wha does it say?" he asked, standing slowly and towering over her again.

"40 degrees," she said quietly, moving her eyes from the thermometer to Dougie again. "I'm calling the doctor," she continued, neither the tone nor the level of her voice changing. She sighed and walked out of the room, leaving the two boys alone again. Tom looked around for a chair to sit on, considering the floor hurt his butt, but seeing none, he walked through the kitchen and into the dining room to steal a chair from the table. Joanne came back into the living room as Tom was setting the chair in front of the couch to face Dougie. "Yes! Doctor Brant? My son, Dougie..."

Her voice barely penetrated his mind as Tom stared down at Dougie. He ran his hand gently across his cheek. Feeling the soft, yet sticky-hot skin made his insides quiver with desire. He was desiring to do very un-Christian things right at that moment, but God was the last thing on his mind, so he wasn't all that concerned with it.

"Okay, I'll do that. What if he..."

Tom sighed and closed his eyes. He could see himself kissing Dougie again... but not there. If they were somewhere else, he might let himself fall back into Dougie's sweet, seductive trap. He knew Arkansas was not the place for such things.

"Okay, so here's what we've got to do," she said, interrupting Tom's deep thoughts. Tom's head snapped back up, and his eyes flew open, although he stared at her through heavily lidded eyes. She looked at him nervously. "Maybe I should take your temperature..." she joked, but placed her hand on his forehead nonetheless. Tom stared up at her, eyes hanging half open, along with his mouth. She shook her head and dropped her hand. "You're feeling a bit warm, too. You need to go to bed, young man."

Tom shook his head. "I can't sleep."

"Like Hell, you can't! You're exhausted! Will you look at yourself? Young men need their sleep!"

"I tried sleeping... didn't work," he told her, standing and looking down at her.

She stared up at him and sighed. "Fine. But if you die from mental exhaustion, it's not my fault. Your mother can't sue me! I should make you sign a waver or something..."

Tom laughed and shook his head. "What'd the doctor have to say?"

Joanne sighed and shook her head. "He said put him somewhere comfortable and no matter how much he protests, keep him warm. The best way to get rid of a fever is to burn it off... he said that because of Dougie's body heat, he probably had a mild case of Hypothermia, and the fever is just a result of the body trying to fight it off. Medically, there's nothing that can be done for him. He's just gonna have to suffer."

"Well, what about a heater, or a hot bath?" Tom asked quietly.

"No, no, no, no, no. I asked about that, and he said direct heat – like a heater, electric blanket, heating pad, or even a hot bath – should NOT, under ANY circumstances be applied," she told him quickly and sternly.

"How come?"

"I don't know... I just know he said not to do it," she finished with a shrug. "But he DID say to get him somewhere comfortable, so do you think you could– "

"I got it," Tom interrupted, bending down and picking Dougie up bridal style again. Dougie's arms, rather than slinging around his neck like the last time, hung down over Tom's arms, and his head flopped back. He kind of looked like he was dead. It made Tom nervous. Then again, everything was making him nervous.

"Thank you," she said quietly, patting him on the shoulder, and giving Dougie's forehead one last wipe. "You want some food or anything?"

Tom looked at her and gave her a nod. "I am awful hungry..." he muttered with a grateful smile.

She smiled and nodded her head. "I figured it wouldn't be too long..."

Tom nodded and walked carefully through the livingroom and up the stairs, down to the left end of the hall, and into Dougie's room again. He walked over to the bed, setting Dougie down on it gently, and, despite his obvious protest, pulled a blanket over his body. Doing a quick circle in the room, he found a chair next to one of Dougie's desks, and pulled it over to the bed next to Dougie's head. And from there he just sat and stared at Dougie, the natural light of the room making his forehead glisten with sweat. He didn't know how long he'd simply been sitting there staring at Dougie, but suddenly there was Dougie's mum standing next to him with a plate of pancakes, eggs, toast, bacon, and sausage. "Jeez, Ms. Poynter..." he muttered, staring down at the thick, country plate in his hand, with the heavy, country fork on the plate.

"I brought you the biggest cup I could find," she told him as she handed him a cup of pure, black coffee.

"You're an angel," he muttered gratefully as he took the coffee and took in a deep whiff of the strong aroma.

"Eat, drink, and sleep," she told him, patting him on the back, before walking out of Dougie's room. "I'm gonna close the door so most of the heat stays in here," she said, before pulling the door closed behind her.

Tom looked down to the food on his plate. He was so hungry his stomach might've jumped out of his body and eaten the food itself to save chewing time. But it didn't, of course. Tom did, however, manage to finish the entire plate of food in five minutes. Sure, it wasn't the best food he'd ever eaten, and it was no where NEAR as good as his mum's cooking... but Joanne was learning! Slowly. Very. Very. Slowly. She did, however, know how to make a mean cup of coffee! And for that, Tom greatly appreciated her. He lifted the mug in his hand, holding it with both hands as he took a long, slow sip from it. It was strong, just the way he liked it. No sugar, no cream. Just plain, black coffee.

His eyes had managed to close themselves as he had a seemingly sexual experience with his cup of coffee, and had it not been for the coffee in his hands, he probably would've been lost to the dark abyss that is sleep. He didn't want to fall asleep until he knew Dougie was alright. He'd tried before, and Dougie managed to creep his way into his mind. He opened his eyes and looked back down at Dougie, who was still passed out. He looked so peaceful now that he'd stopped fidgeting so much in his sleep. And although there was a slightly pained look on his face, there was a strange tranquility about him.

Now all there was to do was wait. Tom placed his cup down on the night stand next to Dougie's bed and leaned back in the chair. His eyes slowly closed, and he could feel his entire body beginning to relax. Finally.


	13. Chapter 13

Dougie's eyes were moving restlessly behind his closed eyelids, as his body slowly came from its coma. His eyes slowly fluttered open, although they switched from opened to closed for the next few minutes. Eventually, he'd let his eyes open all the way, the natural light of his bedroom making his pupils small dots centering his irises. His entire body ached; he felt like he hadn't moved in ages! He stared up at the ceiling, his mind going off to its own place. This was his usual morning routine. His brain didn't generally register much until he'd been awake for a good fifteen to twenty minutes, so he just laid in bed and thought about random things, sometimes slipping back into sleep. This time, however, he didn't need to lay in bed before feeling completely awake. "This is weird," he muttered, letting his eyes fall closed again.

He sighed and turned his head to the side, feeling his neck cramping as he did. Why did every muscle in his body ache? Why did he feel cold all the way down to his bones? Why was he so hungry? Or thirsty? But most importantly, why couldn't he remember the day before? He opened his eyes and stared at his wall, racking his brain for what had happened the day before, or even the day before that. What day was it? Was it Saturday? He closed his eyes and an image flashed in his mind, accompanied by a strangely familiar feeling of cold. Opening his eyes again, he blinked rapidly, trying to sort out what was going on with him. He felt a strange sense of pain; physically and emotionally. But why?

Closing his eyes tightly, he made his second attempt at delving deeply into his own mind. _Okay, think of... Friday night... the party... _Dean's bloody face flashed into his mind, and a sick, guilty, pleasure coursed through his stomach. Dean's words... Dougie couldn't help but feel proud of himself for what he'd done. _...the fight... jail..._ Images of him and Tom together in jail, embracing each other in such a discreet way it might as well have not counted... but it did. _Mom yelled at me... the barn..._ Tom listening to his song popped back into his mind, along with Tom holding him while he cried. _Hay jumping... the... the kiss..._ Dougie swallowed as the memory of Tom literally running away from him entered his mind again.

And then that feeling of cold set in again. _I fell asleep... and when I woke up..._ He was remembering waking up; feeling cold; immobile; helpless. And after he'd fallen asleep again, there were no memories. He laid with his eyes closed for another few seconds, hoping that maybe something more would come... but nothing did. Blinking his eyes open, he stared at his white wall, the color perfectly depicting the image in his mind. What had happened? How had he gotten back inside?

Needless to say, when he turned around to get out of bed, he was a little more than confused by Tom's presence in his room. Tom, however, wasn't aware that Dougie was awake. His back was arched and his head was hung over the back of the chair, his arms hanging down and touching the floor, and his legs spread out in front of him. It did NOT look comfortable in the slightest. Dougie couldn't help but picture him leaving the barn as he stared at him, a strange, new, painful feeling in his chest rising the longer he stared at him. Now Dougie REALLY wanted to know what he'd missed.

He stood slowly, making sure not to wake Tom as he padded quietly across the floor. Although the door creaked loudly when he opened it, Tom didn't so much as twitch. Dougie made his way down the stairs slowly, his body parts feeling as if they weren't working correctly. He felt like he hadn't had control of them for far too long; they felt stiff, and his reactions felt slower, but maybe that was due to the confused daze he was in.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he noticed Chris sitting on the couch for once. Now he REALLY knew something was up; Chris wasn't working, and the sun was still up. Dougie opened his mouth to speak, but only a quiet, cracked, whisper of a, "Hi," escaped his throat. Had he not talked in days, either? Chris, however, still noticed him. He looked up quickly, a surprised look adorning his features. Dougie cleared his throat and swallowed hard, trying to work up some saliva to moisten his parched throat.

"Dougie?" Dougie turned to see his mum walking toward him, both of her arms out. Before he knew what was happening, she had wrapped him in a tight hug, one which he, amazingly even to himself, returned. "Oh thank the Lord," she muttered, tears collecting in the corners of her eyes. Dougie was completely shocked by his mother's actions. The last he checked she had called him a fag. And now he was caught helplessly in her deathgrip, and being rocked back and forth like a child!

"Mum?" he asked, his voice cracking.

"Don't you EVER scare me like that again!" she scolded him, her voice choked with sobs.

Dougie patted her on the back, confused now as ever. "What did I miss?" he asked quietly.

Slowly, Joanne loosened her grip and pulled back, staring up at her son with puffy, yet sunken in eyes. "That's what _I'd_ like to know! What were you doing outside?"

Dougie scratched the back of his head nervously. His hair felt disgusting; like he hadn't washed it in DAYS. Discreetly, he dropped his hand, not wishing to feel hair that gross ever again. "Umm... I really don't remember." Joanne stared at him with concern, which was only multiplied when he added, "What day is it, anyway?"

"It's Tuesday," she told him carefully.

Dougie's eyes widened considerably. "What?! What happened to Friday?! Or Saturday, even?!"

Joanne actually let out a bit of a laugh at this. "You slept through it, I guess. I don't know... truth be told, I didn't know you weren't here."

Dougie's jaw dropped open slightly. "You didn't even NOTICE?"

"I was trying to give you space! I figured you were holding yourself up in your room!" Dougie didn't say anything. His fight with his mother still left a bitter taste in his mouth when he thought about it. All the things she'd said to him... "Well... once I realized you were gone, we looked all over the place..."

"We?" Dougie asked, looking around at Chris.

"Me, Chris, and Tom..."

Dougie looked back at her quickly, Tom's name in that list standing out as odd to him. "Tom?"

Joanne nodded quickly. "I tried to get him to sleep, but he kept muttering about how it was all his fault that you were missing, and he needed to find you..." Dougie's breathing became shallow and he stared down at the ground, trying to comprehend what he was being told. "He wouldn't stop... didn't even eat. He seemed almost obsessed with finding you." Dougie swallowed hard. Apparently Tom didn't hate him as much as he'd led Dougie to believe. "You've got yourself a good friend, kid."

Dougie nodded grimly. "He's sleeping, now..." Dougie said quietly, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"Oh, good. He wouldn't leave your side once we'd found you... I had to MAKE him take a shower," she finished with a laugh. "Eat, too."

"How long ago was that?"

"Well... yesterday."

"So how long have I been sleeping?"

"Well, he found you yesterday morning, and you didn't wake up once."

"What about him? Do you know?"

Joanne shrugged. "Can't be very long, because he was awake when I last checked up on you two about a half hour ago."

Dougie nodded and turned around, walking to the base of the stairs without a word. But once he put his hand on the handrail, he stopped. "Mum?" he asked quietly.

"What?" He turned and walked back to her, this time embracing her in a tight hug. She was as confused as he was when she'd hugged him. "Dougie? Are you okay?" she asked, rubbing small circles on his back.

"I love you, mum."

Her eyes filled with tears and she returned his hug full-force. "I love you, too, kiddo."

Dougie nodded and dropped his arms, feeling a little bit better about his situation with his mom as he walked back up the stairs, not bothering to say another word.

He stood in front of his door for a minute, his hand resting on the doorknob. With a deep breath, he twisted it and pushed the door open, staring at Tom from the door frame for another second. Letting out his breath, he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. Facing Tom scared him. He didn't know what he'd do; if he'd hit him, if he'd ignore him, if he'd run away from him again. He kind of felt that he could handle anything but the latter; he was prepared for anything but Tom running away from him again.

He walked slowly over to where Tom was laying on the chair, having not moved an inch. Staring at him nervously, Dougie swallowed the lump in his throat and sat down on his bed. Tom looked so peaceful when he slept. Dougie smiled a soft smile and let out a gentle sigh when he noticed a nice line of drool running down the side of Tom's face. "Hey," he said softly. Tom didn't budge, so Dougie placed a hand on his knee, and shook it gently. "Hey, wake up," he continued, leaning forward a bit.

Tom's head turned a bit, before his neck was craning, and he was looking at Dougie through heavily lidded eyes. "Dougie?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Dougie smiled and nodded his head, drawing his hand slowly from Tom's knee. "Hey," he said quietly. Dougie watched as Tom's mind slowly came back to life. "You okay? That doesn't look very comfortable..." he said with a quiet laugh.

Tom sat up quickly, not answering Dougie's question, not saying a word, just grabbing onto Dougie's torso and pulling him onto his lap and into his arms. With both arms tucked under Dougie's and wrapped securely around his stomach and back, Tom held Dougie as close as possible, his eyes falling closed again as he buried his face in Dougie's chest.. Relief washed over his entire body at the sight of Dougie staring at him; his blue eyes finally open again. "I'm so sorry," Tom muttered apologetically.

Dougie's breath caught in his throat at the sudden show of emotion. He was a bit confused, truth to be told. He wasn't aware that he had actually meant that much to Tom; never mind the fact that Dougie was Tom's only friend. "T-Tom?" Dougie asked shakily. Although he tried to resist, he ran his fingers gently through Tom's ruffled hair, loving how soft it felt slipping between his fingers. "You have nothing to apologize for," he told him quietly, giving in completely to the temptation that was Tom Fletcher's hair, and finger combing his hair carefully.

Butterflies rose in Dougie's stomach as Tom nuzzled his face into his chest and held him tighter. "I thought you were dead," Tom admitted quietly.

"Well... I didn't die!" Dougie threw in cheerily.

But Tom was still unamused. "But that doesn't mean you didn't almost!" he spat as he sat back and stared up at Dougie with a new, wild look in his eyes. "You were blue when I found you!"

"Okay! Jeez, calm down..." Dougie said slowly, leaning back a bit. "It's not like I did it on purpose!"

"Well? You scared me!" he said, his voice softening again.

Dougie smiled softly and nodded his head. "My skin isn't still blue, is it?" he asked jokingly.

"Dougie..."

"I know, I know. Jeez, you need a nap," Dougie huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I do! I was up all night looking for your ass!" Dougie let out a quiet giggle at Tom's sentence. "What's so funny? I was scared shitless!" Dougie laughed again quietly. "What?!"

"I'm SO rubbing off on you."

"Yeah, yeah, shut up."

Dougie sighed, before laughing again. "Okay, you know what?" he asked rhetorically before standing. "You're going to bed," he told Tom, grabbing onto his hand and pulling on it.

"Maybe I don't wanna!" Tom replied defiantly, although he still let himself be pulled up.

"Oh, shush. You don't know what you want," Dougie told him as he turned him around and pushed him down into his bed.

Tom fell into Dougie's bed with a quiet, "Ooph," letting himself settle in quickly. "And I suppose you know what I want?" he asked slowly as he stared up at Dougie, his eyes beginning to droop again.

"Mmm... yes," Dougie said with a flirty grin. He pulled the blankets up over Tom's body and tucked them in around his body.

Tom took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, relaxing considerably. "And what'd that be?"

Dougie thought for a minute, a million different [many rather inappropriate] things coming to mind. "You want me to read you your favorite bedtime story about Princess Tom!"

Tom snorted laughter and closed his eyes. "Oh shut up!"

"Oooh, someone's getting testy. You really DO need a nap!" Dougie quipped, grinning boyishly down at the closed-eyed boy below him.

"Shut up. I hate you," Tom huffed quietly.

"Oh, you know you're in love with me," Dougie joked, running his hand gently over Tom's head.

"I really am..."

Dougie's hand stopped, his fingers tangled in Tom's hair. His mouth slowly dropped open as he stared down at his friend, who, apparently, hadn't taken notice to his sudden shock. "Excuse me?" Dougie asked, moving his hand and instead hanging it by his side. Tom's lips parted and a slow, deep breath was exhaled, his eyelids twitching a bit. "Tom!" Tom just smacked his lips and took a deep, steady breath. Dougie attempted to swallow, his throat feeling even more dry now. Dougie didn't know what he was expecting as an answer... but it definitely wasn't that.

With wide eyes, he walked out of the room, shut off the light, closed the door behind him, walked back down the stairs, through the kitchen, into the dining room, and plopped down on a chair at the dinner table. His mind had been so distracted by what he'd just heard that he hadn't even taken the time to blink. He didn't notice his mum staring at him; didn't notice his mum talking to him; didn't notice his mum waving her hand in front of his face. It wasn't until she smacked him on the forehead that he snapped out of his trance and looked at her.

"Earth to Dougie?!" she called, now waving a plate of food in front of his face.

His eyes darted from her to the food, his mouth watering instantly. "Ohmygodyes," he muttered quickly as he took the plate of food.

"Wow, you must be hungry..." she started, watching as he shoved almost half of a pancake in his mouth. "Because I made that."

There was silence between the two while they were just eating; Dougie thinking of Tom, and Joanne thinking of her son, and how to approach what her and Chris had been talking about. "Hey, how does visiting your dad for a bit sound?" she asked carefully. She didn't want it to sound like she didn't want him here, but she knew he needed it.

"Dad?" Dougie asked, perking up a bit.

"Yeah... you know, just until the end of winter break... maybe a little longer."

There had to be a catch. Dougie just KNEW there had to be a catch. "...Why?" he asked slowly, eyeing her suspiciously.

She folded her hands on the table and took a deep breath. Dougie knew she was feeling guilty about something judging from the look on her face. It was the same look he got when he felt guilty. Oh, how alike they could be. "Well... I know moving here hasn't exactly been easy on you. It wasn't exactly fair that we just made you pick everything up and leave... and it's been stressful here. And now... with everything that's happened over the past few days... I just think it'd be good for you to get away from here for a bit... feel the sun, see your friends, and you know you haven't seen your father in a while."

Dougie was nodding slowly as she talked. "Sounds good..." he told her slowly. "How am I getting there?"

"Oh... well, I thought you could drive, because since the move, I just don't have the money to send you on a plane."

"Fair enough..." Dougie said slowly. "So, am I going alone?"

"Well... I was kind of thinking you could take Tom along..." Dougie didn't respond. His last conversation with the boy played back in his mind at the mention of him. "Do you think he'd want to go?"

"_Oh, you know you're in love with me."_

"_I really am."_

Dougie swallowed nervously and nodded his head. "Somehow I don't think he'd mind."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: There are a few songs mentioned in this chap. The most important is Ocean Avenue from Yellowcard. watch?v=1HRlDATxODg

It seemed like just yesterday Dougie was taking all of his belongings from his boxes and bags and moving them into their new home, with Tom's help, of course. So now, it was only natural that it felt weird to be putting things back into his bags, although, the extent to which he was packing was not so severe. No, enough for a week, with a little extra in case of emergencies; that was it. Well, not to mention enough shoes to get him through, should a certain occasion arise, or should something bad happen to a pair! Plus, he had to be sure to bring his flip-flops, because NOTHING was keeping him away from the beach. Normally, he believed that guys really shouldn't wear flip-flops because it just made them look gay, but he WAS gay! So it all worked out in the end for him.

He'd ended up with two bags; one with clothes, and one with shoes. The bag with the shoes in them was a bit smaller than the bag with the clothes, but Dougie had still managed to shove a lot of shoes into it. He had two pairs of converse, one plain, black pair, and one yellow pair; a pair of vans that he and his friends had spent countless classes coloring in the little, white boxes; a pair of black, flip-flops, a pair of chunky, black, skater-style vans, in case he felt like skateboarding; and a pair of somewhat nice, black shoes, in case they went to one of the nicer restaurants for any reason.

As for clothes, of course he brought a shirt for everyday, ranging in color and band logo, with a few extra just in case he needed them; mostly shorts, but a few pairs of pants; plenty of clean boxers and pairs of socks; and, of course, his wetsuit, something which he hadn't had the chance to use in a while. It would be hard for anyone to keep him out of the water and off of a surf board once he got a whiff of that salty, sea air. Just thinking of it made his insides burn a bit. It had been so long since he'd done any of the things he'd taken for granted before in his life. Maybe he could even get Tom to surf a bit! They would have to find him a wetsuit, but Dougie was sure there would be one lying around that would for the most part fit. Dougie's wetsuit had been designed just for him, so it fit him in every way possible; he absolutely loved the thing.

A knock on his door pulled Dougie out of his trance, and he looked up from his bag which he had just zipped closed, and turned toward the door to see his mother smiling at him. "You ready to go?" she asked, leaning against the doorframe casually.

Dougie nodded slowly, before looking around his room. "Almost," he told her, slightly contradicting the nod he had just given. "There're just a few more things I need..." he said, walking from his bed to his desk.

Joanne's eyes widened when she looked at the bags laying on his bed. "How do you plan on carrying those?" she asked with a laugh.

"Huh?" Dougie asked absentmindedly.

Joanne stood and walked over to the bed, patting the biggest, fattest one of the two with a loud smack. "These things look like they could break through the bed at any second!" she joked.

Dougie turned and looked at his bags, offering a shrug, before continuing his search through his drawers. "I like clothes," he said simply, pulling out the bottom drawer and finding, at last, what he was looking for.

"I see that..." she muttered quietly.

He pulled a thick CD case out and dusting it off. He hadn't actually used the thing in ages, because all he'd ever needed was his iPod, but he figured Tom's car wouldn't have an input for an iPod, so it was time to take a step back in technology. Turning to look at his mum, he held up the CD case in triumph. "Wait... do you think his car even has a CD player?" he asked jokingly, poking fun at how old-fashioned his friend was.

"I dunno..." Joanne joked back. "You might have to pull out my old cassette-tapes," she said slowly.

"Or maybe even Chris's eight-tracks!"

Joanne laughed and shook her head. "Now that's just not nice."

"Oh, when have you ever known me to be nice?" he asked jokingly, throwing the CD case on top of the bed next to his bags.

"Oh, shush! There was a time when you were a very sweet, little boy!"

"Was not..." Dougie laughed defiantly.

"Was so! You were 'mummy's little helper'! And you always wanted to help me make cookies and whatnot!"

Dougie was silent for a moment. He turned to look at her, his eyes low. "That never leaves this room," he said darkly.

Joanne rolled her eyes and grabbed the smaller of his bags, which was, surprisingly, heavier than the bigger one. "Jesus, what do you have in here?!"

Dougie put his hands in his pockets in a shy manner. "Shoes."

Her shoulders dropped and she stared at him with confusion. "Maybe I let you be 'mummy's little helper' too much..." she joked. "I've turned you into a woman!"

Dougie opened his mouth to retaliate, but he stopped himself from saying what he was about to. _No, you turned me into a fag, remember? _The thought left a bitter, metallic taste in his mouth; the taste you would associate with sucking on a fork for too long, or touching a piece of aluminum foil to a filling. "But I'm not pansy," he said, faking a southern accent. He was getting pretty good with it, if he did say so himself. He walked over and picked up both bags – one in each hand – and walked down the stairs, the muscles and veins in his arms revealing themselves.

Joanne watched him walk out of the room, slightly impressed at his show of muscles. With a shrug, she grabbed the CD case from his bed, walked to the door, switched off the light, and walked down stairs, making sure to close his door behind her. By the time she'd gotten to the car, Dougie had already put his stuff in the back and was sitting in the drivers seat, waiting for her to get in.

"You think you're driving, do you?" she asked as she stepped into the passenger side seat of the forest green, 2006 Honda Civic.

"You're in the passenger seat, aren't you?" he asked, smiling and nodding at her smugly.

She sighed and handed him the keys, earning a pleased snicker from her son. "You're such a brat."

Dougie nodded and started the car. "Takes one to know one!"

She snorted in response, and that was the last exchange made between the two on the drive over. Both were lost in their own worlds; Joanne's consisting of what might happen to her son when he wasn't under her watch, and Dougie's consisting of Tom.

It turned out what when Tom woke up, he didn't remember anything of the day before, including the confession of his love to Dougie. It was a bit of a stab to the chest when Dougie figured it out, but he made himself move past it, so it wouldn't bug him; or at least, so he could pretend that it didn't bug him. It wasn't supposed to be about love with Tom; he didn't really know what it was about... but definitely not love. He could quite honestly say that he had never been in love before in his life. He had never wanted love before, and he wasn't planning on starting now.

As he pulled into Tom's driveway, his mother turned to look at him, clearing her throat quietly once he'd stopped the car and turned it off. Dougie turned to look at her, a bit of a questioning look in his eyes. "I want you to be careful," she told him, earning an eye roll from Dougie. "I mean it. I know there's a lot of gang violence– "

"Oh, come on, mum. When have I EVER been in trouble with a gang?" he asked with irritation.

"Dougie... just promise me you'll be careful?"

"Alright."

"No racing?"

"No racing."

"No drugs?" Dougie looked at her with a bit of confusion and shock. "Oh, don't try and cover it. Clouds of marijuana used to roll out of your room when you were with your friends. I wasn't stupid, I just didn't care all that much. It wasn't meth, so I was fine."

Dougie had no idea what to say. "Uhh..."

"Just promise me no drugs."

With a sigh, Dougie nodded his head. "No drugs."

"And lastly– "

"What, no sex, either?"

"Exactly."

Dougie banged his head on the steering wheel. "How did I know you were gonna say that?" he asked rhetorically.

"Because... you know me."

"Of course I know you, you're me."

"Oh, get out of the car," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"See?" he asked quietly, but got out of the car regardless. He opened the back door and grabbed one bag out first, setting it on the ground, and then the other bag, setting that one on the ground, closing the car door, and picking one up in each hand by the handle. His mum brought out the CD case, pretty sure there were over 1000 CDs in there. It was quite possibly the biggest CD case she'd ever seen in her life.

Dougie set his stuff down on the porch and rang the doorbell. The wait wasn't long, and before he knew it, Tom was standing in front of him, staring at him through the screen door with a toothbrush tucked in his cheek, and a brush in hand, brushing through his hair. "I can tell you're ready," Dougie joked.

"Hello, Tom," Joanne greeted with a friendly smile.

Tom gave a tooth-pasty grunt, and pushed open the screen door, motioning with his brush for them to come inside. "Did you get a late start?" Dougie asked, stepping inside, followed closely by his mother, who had never been in Tom's house before. It was built in a similar fashion to their house, although it held more of a southern feel. Chris had let Joanne dress up the house a little bit to make her feel more at home, so it had more of a Californian-business-woman feel to it, but the architecture was still, essentially, very southern.

Tom nodded, before walking back to the bathroom and spitting out his mouthful of toothpaste. He rinsed out his mouth a few times, washed off his tooth brush, and came back out, hair brushed and teeth sparkling clean. "I'm just about ready," Tom told them, before walking up the stairs quickly. "You can make yourselves at home," he called down the stairs. Joanne looked around for a second, before taking a seat on the couch across the room.

Dougie, however, made his way slowly up the steps. "I'll be right back," he told her quickly. He walked down the hall and pushed open Tom's room, where he saw Tom scrambling to get his bags all together. "Jeez, I figured you would've been up at dawn and been ready five minutes later," Dougie joked.

"All that sleep I got the other day messed up my sleeping schedule," he said with an exasperated sigh. "I still can't hardly remember what happened that day..." he muttered, throwing another plain, white t-shirt into his bag, and zipping it up.

Dougie's stomach muscles tensed slightly, and he could feel his heart rate increasing slightly. _What the hell am I getting all worked up about? It was nothing_, he told himself sternly. Clearing his throat, he said, "You didn't miss much."

"Alright, I'm ready to go!" he said, picking up his one, small bag, and smiling at Dougie.

Dougie stared at his bag for a minute. "That's it?"

"What?"

"That's all you're bringing?"

Dougie's expectant stare made Tom a bit nervous. "Am I supposed to bring something special?" he asked slowly.

"Shouldn't you bring more clothes than _that_? Do you even have more than one pair of shoes?"

Tom looked down at his bag. "No? Why would i?"

Dougie sighed and shook his head. "Okay, but I'm not the one that's gonna be running around naked by the end of the week."

"I'm not gonna be naked!"

Dougie snorted a bit at his response. Just the way he said the word 'naked' with his strong accent was priceless... "Oh my word," Dougie said with a laugh.

"What?"

"Nothing, you're just cute," Dougie said as he turned to leave the room.

Tom's cheeks flushed and his stomach tied itself into a knot. "What for?" he asked shyly.

"Oh, nothing..." Dougie said with a coy smile. "Come on, we should go! We have a long drive!" Tom didn't say anything; just nodded. "We're gonna leave now, mum," Dougie said as they got to the bottom of the stairs.

She stood and walked over to them, giving them both hugs. "Okay, remember what we talked about..." she said slowly, still holding onto her one and only son.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, a bit of irritation in his voice. "No racing, no drugs, and no sex."

"Better add no fighting," she said, pulling away and looking at him seriously. "NO fighting."

Dougie sighed and nodded his head. "No fighting."

With a smile, she patted him gently on the top of his newly spiked fauxhawk. "Good boy," she said with a triumphant grin. "Okay, I'll see you boys in a week and a half!" They both nodded and waved as she walked out the door, watching carefully as she left.

"Alright, we should get going too," Tom said quietly.

Dougie looked out the window toward Tom's truck. Then a thought struck him. "Tom?" he asked slowly, his voice obviously filled with concern.

"What?" Tom asked, thrown off a little at the worry in his friend's voice.

"We aren't taking your truck... are we?"

Tom laughed and shook his head. "I don't trust that thing to make it," he said with another laugh. "We're taking my baby."

Dougie blinked with confusion. He had no idea Tom had another car. "What's your baby?" Dougie asked cautiously.

"You'll see..." Tom said with a mysterious grin. "Follow me," Tom said, grabbing onto Dougie's hand and pulling him quickly through the house. He'd been waiting years for the chance to show it off to someone he cared about; someone he hoped to _impress_. This feeling in the pit of his stomach was still relatively new, but he was starting to understand what it was, and the more he thought about it, the more okay with it he was. Holding Dougie's hand – like he was – gave him that feeling. "Alright, are you ready to be amazed?" Tom joked as he opened up the door that led from the inside of the house to the garage.

Dougie smiled and nodded his head, thinking it was cute how worked up Tom was getting over some mystery car. Truth be told, Dougie wasn't expecting much. So when Tom flipped on the light and revealed the beauty of a car that he had been hiding from him... his breath caught in his throat. His mouth literally dropped open at the sight before him. "Holy shit!" he said, walking forward and placing his hand gently on the sleek, black body. "This is beautiful..." he muttered, noticing that the surface was so clean, smooth, and just flawless that he could see his own reflection. "What year is it?"

"This is a sixty-six ford mustang convertible..." Tom said, smiling proudly at his own work. "I fixed it up myself," he said slowly. "Dad didn't think it would work out, but I sure did prove him wrong."

"Fuck yes, you did," Dougie said, not taking his eyes from the car. "Oh my god! Nice stereo-system!" he said, noticing all the shiny, blue and black buttons on the inside. "I wasn't even sure if you knew what a CD was!" he joked, throwing Tom a joking smile.

"Oh hush, it even has one of those fancy dealers where you can plug in your..."

Dougie laughed and shook his head. "That's MP... MP3."

Tom stood and scratched his head. "Uhhh... alright? I don't really know what that is."

Dougie let out a snicker and reached into his pocket, pulling out one of the original iPods. "Like this... this is an MP3 player. It holds a bunch of songs, that way you don't need to carry around a bunch of CDs!" Tom took it carefully, examining it closely. "It's just more convenient."

"Alright... well... we should get going," Tom said, handing back the iPod.

Dougie nodded and made his way back toward the entrance to the house. "I'll meet you around front," he said.

"Can you open the garage door and then turn off the lit?" Dougie nodded and pushed the button to open the garage, then turned off the light. He waited a second, watching as Tom got in the car and turned it on. The sound of the engine revving made Dougie die just a little bit on the inside with pleasure. Tom revved the engine a few more times, pleased to finally be driving it, before pulling carefully out of the garage. Once he was out, Dougie closed the door to the garage, and then walked back into the house.

Making sure to turn off a few lights on his way, Dougie left the house, picking up both of his bags, and walking down to where Tom had now parked the car and was waiting for Dougie. "Jesus! How much clothes did you bring?!" Tom asked, hopping out and unlocking the trunk for Dougie to put them in.

"I brought enough so I'm not gonna be... what was that word again? It starts with an 'n'?" he asked, prompting Tom to say it. He just wanted to hear it again.

Tom sighed but spoke up nonetheless to please Dougie. "Naked?" Dougie let out a giggle as he lifted one of his bags into the trunk. "What's so damn funny about the way I say 'naked'?" he asked, getting more snickers and giggles from Dougie. "What?!"

"Nothing! It's just cute!" Dougie was kind of having fun making Tom get all red and flustered. He kind of reminded Dougie of a bird; the way birds get all big and puffy and their feathers get all ruffled when you make them angry! That was what Tom looked like when he was frustrated. And he absolutely loved it.

Tom huffed with irritation, but picked up Dougie's other bag before he had the chance, and threw it in the trunk. Then he took his bag from the back seat and did the same with his. "You're rude," he said with an angry pout.

Dougie grinned and placed his hand on Tom's gently. "I'm sorry," he said, a witty, cute smile on his lips.

Tom melted instantly and shook his head, laughing quietly at himself. "Whatever..." he muttered, yet another word he'd managed to pick up from Dougie. Dougie smiled and hopped into the passenger seat of the car, taking his time to feel the black leather interior. Oh, it was like sex in car form. "You alright?" Tom asked with a slightly smug smile.

"I'm having an experience right now..." Dougie joked.

Tom opened his mouth to warn Dougie about a seatbelt, but Dougie surprised him by actually putting it on before he had the chance. "Wow..." Tom muttered.

"What?" Dougie asked, turning to look at him.

"You put your seat belt on without having to be told!"

Now it was Dougie's turn to be grumpy. "Oh, whatever."

It hadn't taken Dougie long to turn on some music. Silence absolutely killed him. He figured he'd try and start with something that both he and Tom might like, which, on his iPod, turned out to be a difficult task. He did manage to find some country, though, so he tried to level with Tom. Although, Tom didn't seem very pleased.

"What the hell is this?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

"It's Redneck Woman!" Dougie exclaimed. "I love this song! 'Cause I'm a redneck woman! I ain't no high class broad! I'm just a product of my raisin', and I say 'Hey y'all', and 'yehaw'!" he sang, bouncing a bit in his seat to the music.

"Dougie... you ain't a redneck, and you ain't a woman," Tom started with an annoyed sigh. They had only been in the car for about forty five minutes, now, and Dougie's music selection was already driving him up the wall. He never listened to new country, one, because they didn't get a radio station in their small town, and two, it was annoying. "Can you change it to something else? PLEASE?"

Dougie shrugged his shoulders. "That's the only country I have on here!"

"I don't care if it's country! Just pick something else!" Tom snapped.

Dougie huffed quietly and moved away from Tom. "Fine. Jerk," he mumbled, scrolling through his iPod to find the angriest music he could. Once he found a song that seemed fitting, he gave a devious smile and started it, the sound of Travis Richter's scream coming through the speakers. Tom jumped and stared at him with wide eyes.

_Let's starve down to the bone,_

_We're looking better bony!_

_Who needs figure anyway?_

_Stay with me, stay with me_

_So I can dig my nails deep in your skin! _

"WHAT THE HELL'S THAT?!" Tom demanded, his eyes wide with fear.

"What? You don't like it?" Dougie asked, feigning offense.

"Hell no!"

"You aren't even listening to the words!" Dougie defended.

"You can't understand the words! He's too busy screaming about it!"

"Okay, fiiine!" Dougie said, holding up a hand. He scrolled through quickly, now actually looking for something that Tom might like. _Hmmm... Yellowcard_, he decided, picking a random song. The beginning music for Ocean Avenue began to play quietly, before the rest of the band started up and the volume increased a bit. "How's this?" Dougie asked, leaning back against the soft, leather material of the seat cover. He looked up at the ceiling of the car, wishing the weather was warmer so they could ride with the top down.

Tom listened to the music for a minute, a contemplative look adorning his features. "Mmm... i like it," he decided with a small smile. "What is it?"

"It's Yellowcard, and the song is 'Ocean Avenue'."

"I have never heard music like this before..."

Dougie smiled and nodded his head. "I kind of figured." Dougie stared at Tom, smiling dreamily at him. There was something about Tom that made Dougie wanna–

"Doug? What? Is there something on my face?" Tom asked, nervously wiping down his cheek.

Dougie let out a quiet laugh and shook his head. "No, I was just spacing," he said, looking back out the window. The day was beautiful, if he did say so himself. The sky was blue, not a cloud to be seen, the sun was shining, the grass was glistening with frost... yes, it was still cold as hell, if that even made sense, but things were slowly warming up. Thinking about the cold made a shiver run up his spine, and his body quivered for a second, raising goosebumps on his arms. "So... if you don't listen to the radio, and you don't like country, and you've never heard music like this... what do you listen to?"

Tom smiled and leaned back in a relaxed manner. "I like Johnny Cash," he said with a nod.

Dougie smiled and nodded his head. "Me too... it's a little slow for me, though. I like really bouncy music."

"Bouncy? Bouncy how?"

"Mmm... liiiike..." Dougie scrolled quickly to the Blink 182 playlist, staring The Rock Show. ".. This!" Dougie grinned and looked over at Tom, trying to figure out what he thought of it.

_Hangin' out behind the club on the weekends_

_Actin' stupid, gettin' drunk with my best friends_

_I couldn't wait for the summer at the warped tour_

_I remember it was the first time that I saw her there!_

_She's gettin' kicked out of school 'cause she's failing_

_I'm kind of nervous 'cause I think all her friends hate me_

_She's the one, she'll always be there!_

_She took my hand, and that made it, I swear!_

'_Cause I fell in love with the girl at the rock show_

_She said, 'what?', and I told her that I didn't know_

_She's so cool, I'm gonna sneak in through her window_

_Everything's better when she's around_

_I can't wait 'til her parents go out of town_

_I fell in love with the girl at the rock show!_

Tom bobbing his head quickly to the beat and smiling was a good sign in Dougie's eyes. "You like?" Dougie asked eagerly. This song ALWAYS got him pumped for anything! It was so bouncy! So exciting! So much energy! This was definitely his favorite Blink 182 song!

Tom nodded, "Yeah, what is it?"

Dougie smiled, finding Tom absolutely adorable. "It's Blink 182... they put out a LOT of good records! I mean, them breaking up would be as bad as... GREEN DAY! Oh god, if Green Day ever broke up... I might cry. I might seriously cry," Dougie ranted, his voice getting gradually louder.

"Who's Green Day?"

Dougie's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me?! Oh my god!"

"I told you! I don't listen to the radio!"

"Green Day's been around for years! Like... eighteen now! They're from California! LIKE ME! I COULD BE LIKE GREEN DAY SOMEDAY, DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?!"

Tom's eyes got all wide and he glanced at Dougie nervously. "Uhh... yes?"

Dougie quickly changed the song to Burnout. "I declare I don't care no more! I'm growing up and out and growing bored in my smoked out, boring room! My hair is shagging in my eyes! Dragging my feet to hit the street tonight! To drive along this shit town lights! I'm not growing up, I'm just burning out! And I've stepped in line to walk amongst the dead!" he sang, getting all into it and singing into his imaginary microphone.

Tom laughed at how into the song he could get, loving how cute he looked and how excited he seemed to get about being a famous singer of some punk band, and how defensive he got over this 'Green Day'. "I like it," Tom said again, and not just because he was afraid to say otherwise [although he kind of was.].

"Well... good."

The two drove like that until the night, Dougie taking Tom through the many stages of rock and roll, ranging from Elvis, to the Sex Pistols, explaining about Anarchy, what punk REALLY was, and how he didn't believe it was alive anymore. Tom tended to not like the screamo music, meaning he wasn't a fan of From First to Last, but he really liked the fun, bouncy music like Yellowcard, Blink 182, Green Day, Bowling for Soup, My Chemical Romance, and even Good Charlotte and Avril Lavigne! Rap wasn't really his thing, either, but he was doing well enough to branch out from Johnny Cash as it was.

Dougie looked down at the clock on his iPod. 1:27 AM. "Tom? What time did we leave?" he asked quietly.

Tom's eyes sagged a bit as he stared at the red tail lights of the Escalade in front of him. "Uhh... about Nine... why?"

Dougie groaned and rested his head against the back of the seat. "Maybe we should stop somewhere and sleep..." he suggested. "My mum gave me money for such a thing," he continued, looking over at Tom. He could tell Tom was exhausted.

"I don't wanna be late... don't wanna freak out your dad, you know."

"Oh, who cares? We've been driving for... Umm... well, we're a timezone over, now, so if we were back in Arkansas it'd be 2:27 AM... meaning we've been driving for 17 hours!"

"I think we can make it..." Tom continued.

"Oh, come on! We've already been through Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico! We just have Arizona and California to go! Let's just stop... It'll feel good to sleep in a bed!"

Tom was silent for a moment, seemingly contemplating it. "Alright... where should I stop?" he asked quietly.

"Mmm... well, my mum gave us money, but not a LOT of money... so someplace kind of cheap," Dougie said, looking around at some of the options already available to them. "How about that place?" he asked, pointing to a sign that said, 'The Economy Inn'.

Tom nodded and got into the turning lane, sitting there for a few minutes, just listening to the sound of the blinker. Once it was clear, he pulled in and parked in front of the office building. "I'll be right back," Dougie said, before hopping out of the car and running inside.

Tom sighed and leaned back in his seat. He was somewhere between New Mexico and Arizona... he wasn't quite sure which, because Dougie hadn't been clear, and he couldn't recall seeing a sign telling him of which he was in. The point was, he had never been so far away from home in his life. It kind of scared him a bit. When Dougie got back into the car, he smiled at Tom. "This place isn't so bad! It was just 75 dollars for the both of us... and we get two beds, so we don't have to share," Dougie informed him, but Tom didn't really care at the moment.

"Where do I go?" he asked quietly.

Dougie smiled and nodded, sitting back in his seat. Drive around back of this building, you'll see where to park," Dougie told him slowly. Tom nodded and took the car out of park, driving it slowly around back, where he saw a few little houses, and a two story, long building of hotel rooms. "Over there," Dougie said, pointing toward the middle of the long building. Tom drove them to where Dougie pointed, parking them in a space in front of their room. "Should we bring our stuff in?" Dougie asked as Tom turned off the car.

Tom shook his head. "I don't really see the point..." he muttered. "Anything I need in the morning, I'll come out and get it..."

Dougie nodded, seeing his reasoning. "Okay, in the car it stays," Dougie agreed, getting out of the car. He locked and closed the door to the car, before walking hurriedly over to the door of the room they were staying in. This hotel didn't have fancy card sliding systems or anything like that. Nope, you got two keys; one silver key for the room, and one gold key for the pool. Dougie doubted they would be using the pool. They would probably just sleep. After a few seconds of struggle, he managed to get the door open. Reaching around on the inside for a second, he flipped the light on, revealing a dimly lit, small, room with two beds and a sink next to a closed door which was probably the bathroom. Why wasn't the sink in the bathroom? Who knew. Dougie didn't really care. He just wanted sleep.

"Well... it's not a palace... but it has beds, so I'm good," he decided, plopping down on a bed and bouncing a few times.

Tom walked in the room slowly, closing and locking the door behind him. "I don't see how you have so much energy..." Tom said quietly as he walked over to his bed and fell into it.

"All I did ALL day was sit! I was so bored! Tomorrow I'm driving!"

"Like hell, you are!" Tom protested, suddenly getting a bit of his energy back.

"Oh, come on, Tom! I won't hurt your car, I promise!"

Tom sighed and laid back in bed. "We'll talk about it tomorrow," he decided quietly.

Dougie nodded and closed his eyes. "Fair enough..." he said quietly. He looked at the night stand near his bed, noticing a little lamp sitting on it. He turned the lamp on, then walked back across the room and turned off the main light, although the exchange in light didn't make much of a difference in the lighting of the room. Slowly he got himself under the covers, feeling fatigue taking its toll on his body at last. "Okay, good night," he said, earning a grunt from his friend, who hadn't moved on the bed. With a quiet laugh, Dougie switched off the light and settled himself in bed.

Dougie laid there for a half hour, his body feeling tired but his mind restless. He wasn't thinking of anything in particular... just a little bit of everything. He absolutely hated it when that happened. And the silence of the room wasn't helping his situation much. He felt uneasy, and the longer he laid there, the more creeped out he got. Something that scared him a bit more was the fact that he couldn't hear Tom breathing. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, so he could see that Tom had gotten himself under the covers and was facing away from him... but other than that, he couldn't be quite sure that he was alive. That was, until he heard him speaking.

"Dougie?" Tom asked quietly, turning over in the stiff, hotel bed. Dougie wasn't quite sure if he should respond or not, so he didn't. "Doug... are you awake?" he whispered, leaning a bit closer.

Dougie nodded and sat up, looking over at his friend through the darkness. "Yeah?" he asked, his voice quiet, but not in a whisper. He hated the whistly sound of whispering. It was just annoying to him.

"I can't sleep..." he admitted, sitting up as well.

"How come?" Dougie asked, kicking his legs over the side of the bed and facing Tom completely.

Tom shrugged and sat the same way, looking down at his feet nervously. "I'm kinda scared..." he admitted quietly.

"Of what?" Dougie asked, moving to sit with Tom. Truth to be told, Dougie was scared, too, but probably not for the same reason as Tom. Dougie was afraid of the dark and Tom's presence in the room was only slightly comforting to it.

"I have never been this far from home..." he continued quietly, not looking over at Dougie. "I guess I'm just kinda nervous about it... kinda scared..."

Dougie nodded and rested his head gently on Tom's shoulder. "I'm scared, too," Dougie said quietly. "Remember? I'm scared of the dark... so you're not alone!"

Tom let out a quiet, short laugh, nodding his head. "Yeah... look, I know this might sound kinda weird but..." Tom took in a slow, deep breath, but never let it out. Dougie moved his head from Tom's shoulder and looked at him, blinking curiously. "Could I..." Dougie smiled coyly. He was pretty sure he knew where this conversation was going, but he wanted to make Tom say it. He loved watching him get all flustered and embarrassed. "Could I sleep with you? Nothing gay…uhm…sexual…" Tom smacked himself on the forehead, his eyes squinting and his cheeks turning pink. "You know. Nothing personal... I'm just..."

"Ssshhhh..." Dougie put his hand gently over Tom's mouth, smiling at him with amusement. "Man, we could've saved thirty bucks!" Dougie joked, crawling into Tom's bed without actually agreeing out loud to sleep with him. Tom smiled and laid down next to him, looking at him cautiously. "That's okay, I just won't feed you tomorrow," Dougie decided with a nod of his head.

Tom laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "I'll live."

Dougie smiled and closed his eyes. In an attempt to move, Dougie realized that Tom was still on top of the blankets, which made it very hard for Dougie to situate himself. "Umm... Tom?" Dougie asked, opening his eyes again.

Tom's eyes opened and he looked back at Dougie. "What?"

"You know... I'm not gonna bite... you can get under the blankets," Dougie said with a grin. "Aren't you cold?" Tom sighed and got under the blankets, acting as if it was some big inconvenience for him to have to do so. Dougie just smiled and closed his eyes as he felt Tom settle in bed next to him, thinking, _Oh, please... as if you don't want to?_ Dougie did it slowly, but he gradually got closer to Tom, doing it in a way that didn't freak him out, but instead made him feel comfortable with it, and within five minutes Tom had his arms wrapped securely around Dougie's middle, and Dougie was laying partially on Tom's chest, his ear pressed against him, listening quietly to his heart beating.

It wasn't long before the two were asleep, both comfortable in each other's arms, not caring who out there would call it wrong. For the time being, they were just two boys keeping each other warm and safe; nothing more and nothing less.


	15. Chapter 15

_Tom turned to glance at Dougie, the smile on his lips that of unconditional love, although Dougie didn't recognize it as such. He just smiled back, resisting the urge to reach over and touch his friend, although something told him he didn't think Tom would mind very much. **Then what's stopping you?** Dougie blinked, his face going pale as the all too familiar sound of a young girl's voice penetrated his thoughts. He looked back at Tom, his throat going dry. He absolutely refused to believe that he'd heard what he thought he'd just heard. _

_Tom glanced back at Dougie, noticing the strained expression adorning his friend's features. "You alright?" he asked, his expression turning to one of worry. He moved a hand off of the steering wheel and placed it on Dougie's hand, which was resting in the seat. "You look like you've seen a ghost..." he said, glancing back and forth from the road and Dougie. _

_**Go on, Dougie...** A small, pale hand was placed on Dougie's shoulder, causing him to spin around quickly in his seat. **It's time to move on, love.** Dougie stared at her, words escaping him. Her red hair, green eyes, pale skin, and light brown freckles weren't hard to recognize; he'd looked at her enough times to remember. **It's time.**_

_Dougie shook his head slowly, tears brimming in his eyes as he stared at her. **I can't,** he thought, his heart beating wildly beneath his chest. She smiled at him, her rosy cheeks looking exactly the same as he remembered. Her touch felt exactly the same, except so much colder; so much less presence was held in her air. **I've tried... I can't...**_

_Reaching forward, she cupped his cheek in her hand, stroking her thumb gently over his soft skin. Dougie's bottom lip quivered as he rested his face in her hand, more tears streaming down his cheeks. **You can do anything you want, Doug. That's what I loved most about you.**_

_The past tense of that sentence stung bitterly at Dougie's stomach; a feeling he hadn't let himself feel in at least a year. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again he was back in the hotel room, still curled in Tom's arms._

Dougie shot up quickly, a cold sweat running down his forehead and back. _Let go..._ Her voice still rang clearly in his mind, although he knew now that he was awake. His chest rose and fell quickly as the dream ran through his mind. Her face hadn't entered his thoughts in so long, and now it wouldn't go away. He tried sleeping again; tried going back to Tom's arms; but the relief of sleep seemed to pass him by, and he found himself childishly cursing the Sand Man for not stopping for him.

As he got up, he noted the time to be 5:23 AM, grumbling to himself about early mornings. Tom was tired enough to sleep through his sudden awakening, something which Dougie was truly grateful for. All he wanted at the moment was to be alone. He could feel a strong sensation taking over; one telling him that he direly needed something from the past, and he wouldn't rest until he found it. With this feeling deep in the pit of his stomach, it didn't take him long to get dressed, throw on some shoes, grab his wallet, and leave the hotel room in search of it.

When Tom woke up finally, the lack of presence next to him told him that Dougie was already awake. He sat up slowly, his hair messed up considerably, and his eyes half closed. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he opened them again, and glanced at the clock. "I slept in..." he muttered, staring at the bright green numbers that read: 10:34 AM. After sighing and standing, he walked to the bathroom, hoping Dougie would be there. After realizing Dougie wasn't in the bathroom, he got a little worried. But at the same time, Dougie might've just been outside, or maybe he was swimming! Or he could've even been out getting food. So why panic? He walked towards the door, throwing on an old, jeans jacket and slipping on a pair of shoes, before pulling the door open and tucking the hotel key in his jacket pocket.

It didn't take him long to find Dougie, considering he was standing right outside the hotel room, He seemed not to notice Tom standing there, because rather than acknowledging his friend's presence, he instead seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

"Dougie?!" Tom asked, although Dougie didn't hear or see him. The white cords coming from Dougie's hoodie – which was pulled up over his head – told Tom that Dougie was listening to music and couldn't hear him, and the fact that his eyes were closed was enough to let Tom know his friend hadn't seen him. Tom had never seen him look so haggard.

Dougie opened his eyes as he breathed out some air, wishing for some sort of relief from his own mind. He wasn't quite sure how long he'd been out there, With a sigh, he glanced to the side, noticing for the first time that Tom was there. His eyes widened and he jumped to the side, managing to tangle his legs together and fall on the ground. He stared up at his friend, his eyes wide. _Shit... _he thought, looking down. He pulled the hood slowly from his head, revealing a head of un-styled, thick, blonde hair; right before pulling the headphones from his ears, as well.

"Shit! Are you okay?" Tom asked with a quiet laugh, stepping forward and reaching a hand down to Dougie.

Dougie nodded and offered his friend a weak smile. That was whathe was in his own eyes: weak. He'd made himself be strong for so long, and it seemed as if it was all crumbling down on him now. What, with everything that had happened to him, and now this strange dream? He was feeling a little more than overwhelmed.

Tom looked at him carefully, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and just how tense Dougie was in general. "Did something happen?" he asked quietly

Dougie swallowing thickly "Just a bad dream," he muttered, his hands shaking uncontrollably. Tom opened his mouth to respond, but Dougie stopped him before he could say anything.

Tom patted his friend on the shoulder, but noticed Dougie having different clothes on, his iPod; all things which he didn't have the night before. "Did you steal my car?" Tom asked randomly and quickly, looking at Dougie accusingly.

Dougie gave a short laugh, but shook his head. "No. I stole your keys, broke into your car, took my iPod and some clothes."

Tom stared at him for a second longer, holding his suspicious gaze, before smiling and looking away. "Alright..."

"Ooh, we should get going, actually," Dougie said, looking down at the clock on his iPod. Tom turned back to look at him questioningly. "Check out's in like... twenty minutes." Dougie didn't know how five hours had passed while he was merely listening to music. He decided on not letting this whole 'dream' thing bother him anymore, because in his eyes it wouldn't do any good to be upset about things that didn't even really happen.

Tom rested his head against the window of his car, sighing deeply, and making sure his seat-belt was tight enough. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this," he muttered, staring out of the passenger-side window for the first time in his car.

Dougie smiled proudly, sitting up a bit in the seat. "Oh, come on! I'm not that bad of a driver, am I?"

Tom sighed again and sat up, looking at Dougie desperately. "It's not that! This is my baby!" Dougie glanced at Tom, trying not to laugh at the pathetic tone in Tom's voice. "You don't even know how much work I put into this thing!"

"Oh, shush," Dougie said, looking back at the road with an accomplished grin. Tom huffed quietly, but didn't say another word, at which Dougie smiled more. _I control you_, he thought with a toothy grin and a quiet laugh. He glanced back at Tom, noticing him still pouting. "Oh, come on! Would it make you feel better if I let you choose the music?" he asked, putting on his blinker and switching to the left hand lane.

Tom sat up a bit, finally smiling again. "Maybe..." he muttered as he picked up the iPod. He scrolled through it, finally beginning to understand how it worked. Sometimes he would still push a wrong button and he would freak out because he didn't know what he'd done and how to fix it, but he was learning. Scrolling down the list of bands, he was looking for something new; something he knew Dougie hadn't played for him, yet. And then a new name popped up at him. "What's McFlys?" he asked, looking up at Dougie.

Dougie's jaw tensed and he swallowed thickly, before licking his lips and glancing at Tom. "Nothing, you wouldn't like it," he said shortly, before glancing over his shoulder and getting back in the right hand lane after having passed a semi.

But Tom was curious. "How come I wouldn't like them?" he asked, clicking on the band name and, instead, looking at all the CD's the band had put out. "Wow, they did a lot," he muttered, noticing three albums under that band name.

"You just wouldn't, okay?" he snapped, keeping his eyes on the road.

"I wanna hear before I decide on not liking them!" Tom reasoned, clicking on the most recent album on the list.

"They broke up... they weren't really good," Dougie tried to persuade him, getting rather nervous. But Tom had clicked on the first song, and the sound of three boys harmonizing came through the speakers. _Oh, oh, oh, ohhh, oh!_ Dougie's eyes widened a bit, and he turned to look at Tom, his eyes pleading. "Come on, just change it," he muttered, the instrumental part not being too revealing so far.

But Tom was intrigued now. It sounded familiar, and he didn't know why. He'd never heard the song before, he was most sure of that... but there was just something familiar about it. "Why? Sounds good so fa– " Tom was cut off by the sound of Dougie's voice, but this time Dougie's mouth didn't move.

_People marching to the drums,_

_Everybody's having fun to the sound of love,_

_Ugly is the world we're on_

_If I'm right then prove me wrong_

_I'm stunned to find a place we belong_

_Who is your lover, I couldn't tell,_

_When hell freezes over,_

_That's when I'll tell, who is your lover,_

_I couldn't tell, when will this stop._

Tom's mouth dropped open, and he turned to stare at Dougie, his eyes wide with shock. "HOW COME YOU NEVER TOLD ME?!" he asked, listening excitedly to the chorus.

"It never came up," he said shortly.

"This is good!" Tom continued, his grin bright and excited.

"Can we change it now?" Dougie asked, his mouth and throat dry.

Tom looked at him nervously, but nodded nonetheless. Tom bit down on his lip as he scrolled through, the song still playing while he tried to find another band. In a rush, he managed to click on System of a Down, and start the first song on the album titled: Hypnotize. He jumped as it started, staring at the stereo accusingly. Dougie actually cracked a bit of a smile at this, loving how frightened Tom could get by the sound of something new.

"What the hell is this?!" Tom asked, looking at Dougie with confusion.

Dougie just laughed and shook his head. "Go to Kill Rock 'n' Roll," Dougie instructed with a knowing smile. He loved how fast he and Tom could move past things. Even if they got in an argument, it didn't take much for them to get over it; something which was proven by the little barn/kiss incident. The smile slowly slid from Dougie's face as the memory of Tom's confession came back into his mind. _Let go, Dougie..._ Dougie shook his head quickly, trying to rid his mind of all of those thoughts.

Tom looked at Dougie with confusion. "This is weird..." he muttered, an eyebrow raised.

Dougie smiled again, letting out a sigh "Okay, okay... go to the Plain White T's, and open up their album, Every Second Counts," he told him, again getting in the left hand lane to pass a big truck. The rest of the trip went pretty much like that: Dougie told Tom to go to different play lists, continuing Tom's education of new and old music, ranging in all sorts of genres. The two stopped to eat once, and ended up exploring the city they stopped in for a little bit, but after that it was back to the road, just enjoying each other's company. Dougie was happy because it was sunny again, so they'd put down the top, and were riding convertible-style, both of their soft, un-styled hair blowing wildly in the wind.

"YES!" Dougie exclaimed as they passed a sign reading: Welcome to Los Angeles. "I'M HOOOOME!" he screamed, earning strange glances, not only from Tom, but from a few people in cars next to him. Tom was grinning like a school boy, looking around wildly at all of the different things to see. From what he could see, there was a bunch of tall buildings, and the people there all looked so glamourous! Everyone looked like they owned a fortune, and all of the cars were so beautiful! "What do you think?" Dougie asked, glancing at Tom with an excited grin.

Dougie came to a stop at a stop light, watching Tom as he slowly looked up at a building, his eyes and mouth wide with awe. "It's big," he muttered, staring up the building. He had never seen a building so big in his life!

"If you think this is big, you should see New York City," Dougie said with a smile.

Tom turned to look at Dougie as he started driving again, a loving smile on his lips. "We should go there some day," he said, leaning against the car door and smiling at Dougie. Dougie smiled and nodded, before putting on his blinker and making a right turn onto some smaller, but still main street. "We are headed to your dad's place?"

"No, not yet," he said, smiling wildly.

"Why not?" Tom asked.

Dougie took a deep breath in, his chest puffing out a bit. "I have some place I need to stop, first," he explained, making another right hand turn onto a side street.

Tom was curious, but didn't inquire as to where. "Alright..." he said suspiciously.

A giant park with trees and play-structures came into view, making Tom all the more curious. Dougie, seeing this on his face, turned to look at him as he pulled to a stop on the side of the road. "I have some old friends to see," he explained, putting the car into park, and turning off the engine.

Tom and Dougie both got out of the car, Dougie walking confidently across the street with Tom close on his heels, a slightly nervous look on his face. He looked down at himself, his blue, plaid, button up, collared shirt looking nothing like anything any of the people he'd seen around would wear. His white shirt underneath had dirt stains on it from working on the farm, and his blue jeans had grease stains from that time the tractor broke and he had to fix it. Not to mention his shoes; he had work boots on; nothing like the shoes people in California wore.

Tom was getting more nervous as he and Dougie rapidly approached a group of five; three boys and two girls. "How did you know they'd be here?" Tom asked quietly, leaning over Dougie shoulder and whispering it in Dougie's ear.

Dougie smiled and turned to look at him, loving the nervous expression on his face. "We did the same things everyday. Today's Saturday, so they'd be at the park for a few hours. We just happened to catch them before they left for Sonny's," he explained. He sped up his walk, excited to see them all again. In fact, he was so excited that he didn't even realize Tom wasn't behind him anymore. Nope, the thought of them being so close scared Tom to the point of running and hiding behind a tree.

As Dougie got closer, he could hear their conversation; Danny was telling a joke that he had told a million different times, in a million different ways, but it always had the same ending. "...and then I'm gonna walk up to him, and say– "

"Johnny!" Dougie interrupted, finishing the joke for him. "YOU'RE A WANKER!" Everyone in the group stopped suddenly, turning to look at Dougie with wide eyes. Dougie just stood there, grinning at them all, offoring a small wave. "Hey," he said, his grin uncontrollably big.

"OH MYGOD!" One of the girls – Amanda – exclaimed. And just like that, everyone was up, and magically on top of Dougie, all hugging and kissing him frantically. "NEVER LEAVE US AGAIN!" Amanda squealed, kissing him repeatedly all over his face.

Dougie grimaced and tried to pull away, but as soon as he did, his friend Andrew was giving him the same treatment. Dougie squealed and pushed him away, laughing madly. "GUYS! GIVE ME SOME ROOM!" he screamed, putting his hands over his head, still laughing almost maniacally. Everyone took a step back, each grinning their own, special grins. Dougie took a deep breath, the look on his face that of absolute bliss.

"Where the hell have you been?!" The third of the boys – Harry – asked.

Dougie sighed and shook his head. "You don't even wanna know," he joked. "No, really, a little town just southwest of Junction City, Arkansas. It's so small it's not even on the map," he grumbled.

"Well you're back, now!" the other girl – Kelsey – exclaimed, jumping forward and hugging him again.

He laughed and patted her on the back. This was where he belonged; he just knew it. But at the same time, Tom had made him feel more at home than he had ever felt in his life. He turned to look for him, finally noticing that he wasn't there. He took a step back and turned around fully, looking around for him. "What're you looking for?" Danny asked with a laugh.

"I brought a souvenir... and I don't know where I put him," he muttered, earning confused looks between his friends. "Tom!" Dougie called, walking back toward the car. That was when he noticed the top half of a head poking out from behind a tree. "Tom! Get over here!" Dougie called sternly, waving him over. Tom slowly and cautiously walked out from behind the tree, feeling more out of place than ever before. Once he'd caught up with him, Dougie grabbed onto his hand and pulled him toward the group, stopping in front of them and letting go of his hand. "This is Tom," Dougie said, looking up at him, then back to the rest of them.

They all stared at him in awe. Tom stared nervously at everyone, but most of all, Andrew. Andrew was the first black person Tom had ever seen in his life. He was definitely beautiful; his hair was dark brown, almost black, and in little twists on his head, his skin was smooth and dark, matched only in color by his beautiful, dark brown eyes. He had a bit of facial hair, too, but not too much to be considered unattractive. It wasn't hard to see that Andrew would have no problem with the ladies. Tom was absolutely thrilled to see him.

Danny walked up to him, looking into his eyes. "Can he talk?" he asked with a sarcastic laugh. Tom gave a nervous smile and nod, but still didn't say anything.

"I think he's adorable!" Amanda decided.

He turned to look at her, his eyes wide and his cheeks pink. "What?" he muttered, taking a step back and running into Harry.

"Me too," Harry joked, making fun of his friend.

But Tom didn't realize that. His eyes only got wider, and he stumbled back, his face showing absolute terror. "Knock it off, guys! You're scaring him," Dougie laughed, walking over to Tom and touching his arm gently. "It's okay... they're not gonna hurt you," Dougie laughed, pulling him back over. "Okay, that's Kelsey, Amanda, Danny, Andrew, and Harry," Dougie introduced him, pointing to each friend as he did.

"Hi," Tom said, giving a short wave. Every single person in that group smiled at him widely upon hearing his accent. "What?" he asked slowly, only making them look even more psychotically amused. "What the hell's so damn funny?"

"OOH MY GOD! HE'S SO CUTE!" Kelsey squealed, making Tom flinch back again.

"You're all weird," he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Jeez, guys... calm down," Andrew laughed, walking up to him and smiling. Tom stared at him, a highly excited smile on his face. Andrew turned to Dougie, eyeing Tom nervously. "Dougie? Why's he looking at me like that?" Andrew asked, giving an uncomfortable laugh.

At this, Dougie actually began to laugh. He slapped a hand over his mouth, muttering, "Oh my god," to himself between laughs. "I think..." he started, letting out a few more laughs. "I think you're the first black person he's ever seen," Dougie finished, grinning with amusement.

Andrew's bottom lip began to quiver, before bursting into laughter himself, along with everyone else in the group. Tom stood there nervously, watching as everyone laughed at him. "That's amazing," Andrew said, patting Tom on the shoulder. "No black people back home?" Tom shook his head quickly, averting his eyes. The way everyone was laughing at him made him feel ashamed of the fact, even though he knew it wasn't his fault. "I love this guy," Andrew decided with a nod. He turned to Dougie, hugging him again. "We've all missed you SO much," he told him, moving on quickly from the 'black' topic.

Dougie closed his eyes and returned the hug fully. "I've missed you, too..." he said quietly.

"There's a party tonight!" Harry exclaimed, walking up to the two. "It's at Seth's place," he continued, earning a happy look from Dougie. "You should come!"

Dougie nodded quickly, before turning to look at Tom. "What do you say? You wanna go?" he asked, but before Tom had the chance to answer, someone else interrupted.

"We could play!" Dougie turned to look at Harry, a warning look in his eyes. "We could have a little reunion of McFlys! Come on, it's been so long!"

"I'd go for that," Tom stated, getting the rest of them excited for it, too.

"We could really do it!" Danny chimed in.

"I dunno, guys..." Dougie said quietly.

"Come on, Dougie! Don't be a party pooper! We could just play a short set! I KNOW you haven't forgotten any of the words," Harry tried to persuade him, only making Dougie more uncomfortable.

"Yeah, come on! It'd be fuuuun!" Danny pleaded, pulling on Dougie's arm like a child.

"Come on, kid. I wanna see it," Tom said, ruffling his hair with one hand.

Dougie bit down on his bottom lip, a lump growing in his throat. _Let go..._ He closed his eyes and cleared his throat, shoving his hands in his pockets. "We don't have a lead guitarist..." he said quietly, causing everyone in the group to grow quiet and still. Tom looked around with confusion, not understand what was going on.

"What about Seth?" Andrew offored, hoping to get the mood up again.

"YEAH! Seth can play lead guitar! Come on, it'll be so much fun! Pleaaaase?" Danny started again, pulling harder on Dougie's arm.

"Come on, Dougie! We can't do it without you! You're the singer!" Harry continued, now pulling on Dougie's other arm. "We neeed you!"

Tom stared at Dougie sadly, jutting out his bottom lip a bit. "Pleeeaaase?" he pouted, his big, brown eyes making Dougie's insides melt.

"Look at that face!" Andrew said, pointing toward Tom. "That face makes me wanna cry! How can you say no to that?!" he asked, shaking his fist at Dougie.

Tom sniffled quietly, seeing in Dougie's face that he was winning. "I wanna see you play..." he said quietly, making his bottom lip quiver.

Dougie growled and sank to the ground, pulling Danny and Harry down with him. "Fine," he grumbled, pulling his hands from his friends and crossing them childishly over his chest.

"YAY!" Danny and Harry seemed to yell at once, both hugging him tightly.

Dougie sighed and shook his head. "But a SHORT set," he demanded, looking up at the people around him, and the two next to him on the ground, who were still hugging him.

"Okay, only twenty songs," Danny joked. Dougie glared and elbowed him in the stomach, making Danny cough and pull back from his friend. "Okay! Okay! Just a few songs..."

Tom smiled, offering his hand down for Dougie. Dougie glanced up at him, trying not to melt at the smile he was getting. Placing his hand gently in Tom's, he let himself be pulled up, keeping his hand in Tom's for a moment, and just staring at him. Everyone else in the group glanced around, and each and every one of them was recognizing that look in Dougie's eyes. They all shared a knowing smile, before Dougie turned to look at them, and each of their gazes shot in different directions, as if they hadn't been doing anything at all. "Okay, I have to go check in with my Dad," he said, pulling his hand from Tom's.

"Aww, okay," Kelsey said, walking to him and hugging him again. After she pulled away, each of his friends took a turn in hugging him, each saying their separate 'goodbyes'.

"I'll see you at the party!" Harry called as Dougie walked away.

Dougie turned and waved, before getting back in the car. "Okay, to Dad's house..."


	16. Chapter 16

Dougie and Tom stood in front of a large, oak door, both with slightly anxious expressions on their faces. Tom turned to look at Dougie, wondering why they hadn't yet gone inside. "Doug?" he asked, pulling Dougie from his trance-like state, and causing him to turn to look at him. "What're we doing?" he asked, blinking rapidly.

"Umm..." Dougie trailed off, looking back slowly at the door. How could he explain that he was nervous to see his dad? He hadn't seen him in quite a while, and even when they had seen each other in the past few years, they barely interacted. How could he explain his reasoning for choosing to live with his mother rather than his father? How could he explain that he felt guilty for choosing his mum because she had more money, even though he truly got along with his dad better? He couldn't recall ever actually walking into his father's new house, although he'd lived in it for at least five years, so it was only natural for him to feel like a stranger in it. "I'm waiting for you to ring the doorbell," Dougie decided, turning to look at Tom again, but this time with an impatient, accusing look.

Tom raised an eyebrow at Dougie, but rang the doorbell anyway. "Jeez, you could've told me..." he muttered, looking back to the door. "Have you never been inside before?" Tom asked, looking back to Dougie, who offered a shrug as a response. "Then why can't you go inside without ringing the doorbell?" Dougie just shrugged again, keeping his eyes trained on the door. Tom sighed, seeing he wasn't going to get a real response, and just turned back to the door as well. He knew Dougie well enough now to know that when Dougie didn't respond the first time or the second time, he wasn't going to respond at all. _Stubborn ass_, Tom thought, looking down at his feet slowly. His attention was drawn back up quickly when the door opened, and he saw a relatively short man with bright blonde hair standing there.

"Dougie!" he exclaimed, before pulling Dougie into his arms.

Dougie returned the hug half-heartedly, patting the man a few times on the back. "Hi dad," he said as he pulled back.

"Come in, come in!" Dougie's dad offered, opening the door wider and grabbing one of Dougie's bags.

"Come on," Dougie instructed, turning to look at Tom. Tom noticed that strained, slightly stressed look back on Dougie's face, but didn't ask him about it; he just nodded, grabbed his bag, and followed Dougie into the house, making sure to close the door behind him. He looked around the house, his eyes wide and mouth open with awe. Everything was so sparkly, clean, and big. He was pretty sure he'd never seen such a grand house before in his life! It looked to him like a movie star would live there, or something! "Tom, this is my dad," Dougie said, snapping Tom's attention back to him. "Dad, this is Tom," he continued, pointing from one to the other.

Tom smiled and dropped his bag on the ground next to his feet, offering his hand out to Dougie's dad. "Nice to meet you," he said, giving the man a firm handshake as he took his hand.

"You too," Dougie's dad said, shaking his hand back. "I may be 'Dad' to him, but you can call me Charles," he said, pulling his hand back and standing up straight.

"Okay, I know we just got here, but there's a party tonight, and I stupidly agreed to play with my old band at it, so we have to leave in a bit," Dougie said, pulling his dad's attention back to him.

"Alright, but when you get back there's something kind of important that I need to talk to you about," Charles said, sounding a bit nervous.

Dougie nodded slowly, kind of curious about what his dad might have to tell him. "Okay, we shouldn't be too late, but you know how it goes sometimes..." he said slowly. "Where should we put our stuff?"

"Right this way," Charles said, looking at the two, before leaving the room. Tom and Dougie exchanged smiles, before picking up their stuff again and following Charles out of the room. They were led upstairs and into a rather large room, fully equipt with a big bed, stereo system, and a TV and DVD/VCR combo. "This is one of the guest rooms," he said, looking around it proudly. "The other one is right next to this, and it's pretty much the same," he told them, looking back to them with an accomplished smile. "Pick a room," he told them.

"Wow..." Tom muttered, looking around the room at all the nice stuff, but Dougie seemed pretty unimpressed. He was used to that sort of thing, so the fact that there was probably over five thousand dollars worth of electronics in the room didn't mean much to him. "This is a nice room," Tom told Charles, smiling at him gratefully. "Thanks for letting us stay here."

Charles smiled and nodded. "You're both welcome any time," he said, making his way slowly to the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have something to attend to downstairs. If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen," he said, before leaving the room.

Dougie nodded his head and turned to Tom. "We should get going," he said, butterflies welling up in his stomach at the thought of performing again. Something told him this was meant to happen; things like this didn't just come up! First the dream, then Tom managing to come across McFlys' music, and then his band's little reunion? It was all a little too crazy to have happened in ONE day. He sighed quietly, shoving his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, which he hadn't yet taken off, although he didn't need it anymore. The weather in Los Angeles, California was clear skies and sunny

"Something wrong?" Tom asked quietly, tilting his head to the side.

Dougie looked at him, shaking his head quickly. "No, no... nothing," he said, not sounding all too convincing. "Just pre-show nerves, I guess," he continued, unzipping his hoodie, pulling it off, and throwing it on the bed. Tom nodded, taking in a deep breath and sighing as well. "It's been a while," he finished.

Those were the last words spoken between the two before they got to Seth's house, both lost in their own thoughts. Dougie couldn't stop seeing _her_; couldn't stop hearing her voice, and the closer it got to show time, the worse it got. Even as he stood on the stage, adjusting the height of his mic-stand, her words were still repeating in his mind. _It's time to move on..._ He sighed and stood again, checking the height to make sure it would work. After deciding it would, he took the mic from his back pocket and stuck it on the stand, testing it again. He looked down at the bottom, flipping it on, and putting his mouth so close to it, his lips were practically touching it. "Check, check..." he muttered, his voice sounding bored, yet nervous.

"Jeez, Dougie, sound a little more excited," Danny joked as he walked by behind him, his guitar in one hand, and a long chord in the other.

Dougie sighed and shook his head, before taking the mic in his hand, and screaming, "CHEEEECK!" into it. Tom jumping across the room made Dougie burst into laughter. "Sorry," he muttered into the mic, not intending on scaring Tom with his scream. "I think it works," he pointed out, putting it back on the stand and taking a step back.

"You think?" Tom asked loudly as he made his way to the makeshift stage. Dougie loved that, 1) Harry had his own 'portable' stage, and 2) that Seth's living room was big enough to hold it, with plenty of room for people once all the furniture was removed.

"Was that fun?" Harry asked as he walked by, drumsticks in his hand.

Dougie rubbed his throat gently, nodding his head. "I haven't screamed like that in a while," he admitted, giving off a quiet cough.

"I have never heard you do it," Tom muttered, putting a foot down on the stage. Sure, the stage only rose them above the ground about a foot, maybe even a little less, but it still put them enough above the crowd in order to be seen better by all.

Dougie grabbed a bottle of water that was sitting on one of the speakers, taking off the lid, and taking a long drink. "Because it hurts like hell," Dougie said after swallowing, giving off another cough.

"Then don't do it anymore!" Seth pleaded, shoving Dougie's shoulder roughly. "The show won't be any good if you sound like a dying toad!"

"Oh jeez, you're nice," Dougie muttered, taking another drink of the water.

"And truthful," Seth pointed out.

Dougie just shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he mumbled. Tom found the way they all interacted to be rather interesting. They all seemed to get a kick out of being mean to each other, something which Tom couldn't quite understand. He could remember Dougie being that way with him when he first got there, but it died down after a month or so, and after that Dougie had been relatively nice to him. So seeing this, it made Tom realize where he got it from, and made him wonder if everyone there talked to each other like that.

The doorbell ringing pulled everyone out of what they were doing, and Seth ran to the door, opening it and waving a whole group of people in. Tom was shocked at how many people had shown up at once, the official headcount being about twenty at once. "That's a lot of people..." he muttered, pulling his gaze slowly from them, and looking at Dougie, who was actually a little taller than him now that he was on stage.

Dougie laughed and shook his head. "That's not even CLOSE to how many'll be here," he muttered, resting his hands on Tom's shoulders and smiling down at him. Tom got a scared look on his face but laughed quietly. "It's okay, they won't bite," Dougie said, grinning at the cute face Tom was making. "The worst they'll do is offer you beer or a hit."

"A hit?" Tom asked, tilting his head to the side

Dougie stared at him for a second, trying to decide if Tom was being serious. "Of pot...?" he asked slowly, moving his hands to the collar of Tom's shirt and tugging on it gently.

Tom's eyes widened, and he blinked up at Dougie innocently. "Remember what you promised..." he said, grabbing Dougie's hands from his shirt and instead holding them in his casually.

Dougie laughed and nodded, pulling his hands away discreetly. "Yeah, yeah, I remember."

More and more people filed in over the next half hour, until Seth's house was practically filled to the brim with people. At some point, people had managed to get in three large kegs, and the word was two more were coming. Tom didn't leave the stage at all, utterly frightened by the people around him.

"Okay, okay, calm down!" Dougie spoke through the microphone, his voice filling the entire house. "HEY! FUCKERS!" he yelled, getting almost everyone in the room to pay attention to him. "That's better..." he said, smiling nervously. "We're gonna get this shit started," he muttered, looking down at his feet for a second as he paced across the stage. The room was filled with cheering, whooping, and even a few screams from random fan-girls. "For all of you that don't know it, we're McFlys," he said, getting more whooping than clapping this time. "And NO, we aren't getting back together," he finished firmly.

"Booooo!" some girl screamed. "You know you wanna!"

"Hey, who is that?" Dougie asked, looking over the heads of all the people in the room. He was surprised at the amount of people that were actually there, and even more surprised at the people that wanted to hear them again. A hand rose from the mob, and Dougie smiled, pointing over to her. "Meet me in Seth's room in five minutes," he said jokingly.

"WOOO!" She screamed.

Dougie laughed and shook his head. "Okay, on with the show..." he looked back at his friends, Danny and Seth both on guitar and Harry on drums. "One, two, ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR!" He said quickly, and as soon as he hit four, the group all started playing together. "OH, OH, OH-OOOH!" he, Seth, and Danny sang together. Dougie danced around a bit on stage while they played

As he sang, Dougie couldn't help but stare at Tom, absolutely thrilled with the smile on his face. The energy the crowd had instantly shown him made him all the more pleased to be doing what he was doing, and now he couldn't see why he wouldn't have wanted to before.

Dougie jumped from the amp and onto the ground, walking in front of Tom, grinning at him. He grabbed his hand and held it to his chest, pulling him forward and pushing him back as he sang. Tom loved the way how Dougie was singing to him. But before he knew it, Dougie was gone, singing this time to a girl. He twirled the girl around in a circle, grinning down at her, before jumping back on stage.

Again, Dougie couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of Tom. Maybe it was all the attention he was getting from his friend that kept his eyes on him; although he was getting the same attention from the rest of the kids in the room. Or maybe it was the fact that he was getting a _different_ kind of attention from Tom.

As the music died down, the group of people that had amassed in Seth's living room began to scream, holler, whoop, woot, cheer, squeal; you name it, they were doing it. Tom was most certain that he had never seen Dougie smile so genuinely before in the six months that he'd known him. He loved seeing him up there; Dougie was truly in his element. As the show went on, the band only got more into it, and as the band did, so did the crowd. Dougie had completely forgotten about that feeling; the feeling of being in the limelight; that feeling you get when you know people are screaming for you, because you're doing something you love. And the fact that Tom was in the audience... well, that only made the night a hundred times better.

"That was great!" Tom exclaimed once the set was done, which had actually turned out to be pretty long. Dougie was covered in sweat, but at the same time, he had never looked so happy. Tom loved seeing him that way; especially considering how glum he'd been for so long back home.

"Thanks," Dougie said, wiping off his forehead with the back of his hand. He looked around at his friends, each with the same look as he had. There was such a surreal feeling to performing, especially when the crowd was really into the music, and even knew the words. "It's really hot in here..." he muttered, right before peeling off his shirt, which was soaked with sweat. When he looked up at Tom, he noticed Tom staring at him, and smiled knowingly at him. "Come on... walk with me," Dougie said mysteriously.

Tom stared at him for a moment longer, his throat going dry. "Alright," he said quietly. Dougie's hand grabbing onto his made a burning feeling rise in his stomach, and he was suddenly glad they were going outside where it was much, much cooler. "Where're we going?" He asked, letting himself be lead through Seth's backyard, and down onto a little path that was surrounded by trees; trees that looked surprisingly like what one would expect palm trees to look like. Tom looked up at them, astonished by their size.

"We're going to my favorite place on earth," Dougie said vaguely, a smirk plastered on his lips. He lead Tom through a clearing, which led straight to the beach. The scent of salt water hit his nose, and Dougie couldn't help but stop, close his eyes, and breathe it in slowly. This was probably what he'd missed more than anything else; the ocean. Arkansas was a landlocked state, and the best they had for water was the local lake, which was pretty dirty. But this... this was a seemingly endless supply of water; standing next to the ocean made him feel small, and it really put him in perspective when he needed it.

When he opened his eyes and looked at Tom, he felt a small smile working its way onto his lips. It looked as if Tom had stopped breathing at the sight before him. His mouth hung open, and his eyes were rather dazed looking, but they still had a sense of wonder to them. "Wow..." he whispered, making the smile on Dougie's face widen. He began to walk again, wanting to see more of this new thing that was called 'the ocean'.

Dougie walked up behind him, placing a hand gently on his back and standing rather closely to him. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked quietly, as if the sound of his voice could break the beautiful moment if he was too loud.

"I have never seen anything like that..." Tom muttered, unable to tear his eyes away from the water. There was so much! His mind wasn't quite sure what to do with it.

"Let's go swimming!" Dougie yelled, throwing his shirt to the ground and running toward the water.

Tom stared for a second, before his brain clicked, and he began running at the water, catching up with Dougie quickly. He grabbed onto Dougie's arm, pulling him back. "No!" he protested, holding firmly to Dougie's arm.

"Oh, come on! Why not?" Dougie asked, trying to pull his arm back, but unable to.

"Isn't it dangerous to swim at night?" he asked, letting go of Dougie's arm.

Dougie shrugged and shook his head. "I did it for years and never died..."

"I dunno, Doug... it just seems dangerous..."

Dougie looked at him for a moment, a contemplative look on his face. Slowly a smile spread across his lips, and he was slowly taking steps back. He slipped off his converse discreetly, still taking small steps back in the sand. "Well... I guess you're gonna have to save me then," he said, earning a confused look from Tom, before he took off again toward the water.

Tom sighed and began to run after Dougie. There was no way for him to get his clothes off before he got to the water, considering he had work boots on, jeans, a button shirt; it just would've been too difficult. So, without even thinking about it, he ran right into the water, letting out a bit of a scream as the relatively cold water hit his ankles, then his calves, his knees, his crotch, and before he knew it, he was up to his chest in the water, still running after Dougie. "Get back here!" Tom called, his breath heavy. His side ached from trying to run in the water.

Dougie smiled and dunked under the water while Tom wasn't looking, so when Tom finally did turn to look for him, he was gone. He spun around quickly, his eyes scanning the dark water for any sight of his friend. "Dougie?" He called, spinning around again. There was a squirt of water to the back of his head, so with a sly smirk, he spun around again, throwing his arms out to catch Dougie. Although, when he got around, no one was there. "Dougiiiee..." he called walking around in a slow circle. When he stopped, he heard a small rippling in the water behind him, and there was another squirt of water on his head. As he spun back around, he saw the top of Dougie's head going down, and reached down into the water to catch him, but with no luck. "God damnit!" he yelled, moving his arms wildly through the water.

Dougie surfaced slowly, doing his best to not make a sound. "Oh, Tooom..." he taunted, tapping Tom gently on the shoulder. Tom smirked and turned around, and almost as soon as he had, Dougie had lunged himself onto him, his arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Tom screamed and lost his balance, being pushed under the water by the weight of Dougie's body on him. As he went under, cold, salty water rushed up his nose and into his mouth, making him cough and only inhale more water. Pushing himself back up to the water's surface, he coughed heavily, blowing water out of his nose at the same time. Dougie, on the other hand, was laughing hysterically at the sight before him. "Oh my god, are you okay?" he asked, swimming back to where Tom was standing, immersed up to his chest in water. Dougie was up to his neck, and so found it easier to float, rather than trying to stand.

Tom looked at him, still coughing a bit. "Jerk!" he yelled, before putting his hand on the top of Dougie's head and pushing him under the water. Dougie's arms flew up in the air as he was pushed under, and being caught rather off guard resulted in him gasping in a mouthful of water. Tom laughed and started walking backward, making sure Dougie came back up before walking back to the shore.

As Dougie came back up, he noticed Tom walking away from him, and began to swim back toward the shore. "What, are you ditching me, now?" Dougie asked with mock-offense.

Tom laughed and turned around, continuing walking. His body shivered as a slight wind picked up, and although the wind was still relatively warm, after being in the frigid water of the pacific ocean, the wind might as well have been cold. "You're crazy," he muttered, sitting down on the beach at the water's edge.

"How come?" Dougie asked, jogging up next to him and taking a seat on the wet sand.

"It's freezing!" Tom complained, trying not to move too much because of how wet his clothes were. "I'm soaked!"

Dougie smiled and looked down at his soaked clothes for a second, before looking back up to his eyes with a coy smile. "Then take off your clothes," he said with a shrug.

Tom's eyes widened and his cheeks grew pink. "What?" he asked quietly.

"You'll be a lot warmer without them..." Dougie continued, looking down at the sand.

"I can't just take off my clothes!" Tom said quietly, looking around to make sure no one was around to hear their conversation.

Dougie smiled and shrugged again. "No one's looking," he said, trying not to laugh.

"That's not the point!"

"What's the matter? Too shy?" Dougie taunted, scooting closer to Tom until they were touching.

Tom shook his head, although the pinkness of his cheeks gave him away. "I'm not shy..." he muttered, moving his arm behind Dougie, so the two could be closer.

Dougie smiled and reached up to the top of Tom's flannel shirt, unbuttoning the first button. "Scared?" he asked quietly.

Tom shook his head slowly, swallowing thickly as he did. "I'm not scared," he whispered, looking down briefly at Dougie's hands.

Dougie smirked and unbuttoned another button. "How about now?" he asked, leaning toward Tom's face slowly. This was what he loved most; the sexual situations. Who needed love when one could just have sex? The first of the two just seemed silly in comparison. Tom again swallowed and shook his head, but this time, no words came. Dougie smirked again, unbuttoning the rest of the buttons on his shirt. He could see the wet, white T-shirt underneath clearly, now, and the way it clung to his body, showing off every perfect muscle on his stomach and chest. "And now?" Dougie continued, looking back up to his eyes, and using both hands to push the over shirt down over his shoulders.

Tom let out a nervous laugh, his breathing coming out in short, quick breaths. "A little..." he muttered, biting down on his bottom lip.

Dougie leaned forward some more, letting his hands rest gently on Tom's chest. "Good," he muttered, crawling forward and leaning down over him. "That's what I'm going for." His lips were mere centimeters from Tom's as he began to push up his T-shirt, letting his fingers roam freely across the tight muscles of Tom's stomach, which tightened under his fingertips. Once he got Tom's shirt up to his chest, he stopped and looked at him, his smile still slightly arrogant, but his eyes much softer. Tom sat up a bit and pulled his shirt off over his head, throwing it to the side. "Still scared?" Dougie asked, straddling his lap, and leaning close to him again.

Tom leaned up, planting a soft kiss on the underside of Dougie's jaw. "Terrified," he muttered, before placing his hand gently on Dougie's cheek, and pulling him down into a warm kiss. Their lips met slowly; neither wanting to rush this new thing that they had both been kind of afraid of. This was their third kiss together, and this one was somehow different from the first two. As they pulled apart, Tom kept his eyes closed, his breath stuck in his throat.

"How about now?" Dougie asked quietly, pressing his forehead against Tom's gently.

Tom swallowed and leaned up again, pressing his lips gently against Dougie's for a brief second, before pulling back and shaking his head slowly. "Not at all..." he muttered.

Dougie smiled and ran his thumb along Tom's cheek. "I guess I'll have to try harder," he said quietly, before leaning down again and trapping Tom in another kiss. Dougie pushed him down gently, laying down completely on top of him, now straddling his stomach. Now it was Tom's turn to be brave. Moving his hand up to the back of Dougie's head, he opened his mouth and pressed his tongue gently into Dougie's mouth, meeting Dougie's tongue in a sloppy, heated kiss. Dougie moved his hand along Tom's side, his fingers caressing every muscle gently.

Tom gasped quietly into Dougie's mouth as Dougie's fingers worked over his nipple. He didn't know what to think about all these new feelings in his body; especially the one down below. He could feel something new happening to him, and he wasn't really sure what it meant or why it was happening... it just was. This feeling seemed to get worse the more into this thing he got with Dougie, and as the feeling increased, the desire to touch every part possible on Dougie only increased with it. He rolled them over so he was on top, his tongue delving deeply into Dougie's mouth; his tongue swirling and dancing with Dougie's. Dougie arched his body up against Tom's as he situated himself; one of Tom's legs resting in between his. He pulled back slowly, biting down gently on Tom's bottom lip, and tugging on it with his teeth.

"Dougie! Is that you!?"

And within .5 seconds, Tom was miraculously off of Dougie and sitting two feet away with him, knees pulled up to his chest to hide the little present he'd gotten in the front of his pants. Dougie sat up slowly, glaring at Harry as he walked up to them, a knowing smirk on his face. "What do you want?" Dougie asked, moving his hands to his lap to cover his own tent.

"Oh, nothing..." he said innocently, noticing the death glare he was getting from Dougie. "Just wanted to see what you were up to!"

"Yeah?" Dougie asked snippily. "See anything you liked?"

Harry just laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "If I'd liked it, I wouldn't have broken it up," he said snidely.

Dougie laughed and shook his head. "Whatever," he grumbled, looking over to Tom, who was turned slightly away from them, his eyes averted, and his knees still pulled against his chest. He looked back up at Harry, who was just grinning at him knowingly. "Oh, shut up," Dougie grumbled, pulling his knees to his chest and hiding his face in them. "I hate you."

"Oh, no you don't," Harry said with a smile, as he patted Dougie a few times on the head.

Dougie sighed and pulled his iPod out of his pocket, pushing the middle button so it turned on, and glancing at the time. "It's nine..." he muttered, looking back over to Tom. "We should probably go soon," he told Tom, who turned to look at him, nodding slowly. "I told my dad we wouldn't be late..."

"Whoa, when did you turn into a good kid?" Harry asked with a laugh.

Dougie looked up at him, shaking his head slowly. He couldn't say he wasn't a little bit offended by his friend's words, after all, when had he really been a bad kid? But when Dougie thought about it, he'd been nothing but a bad kid in his younger days. He stood and walked over to Tom, completely ignoring the look Harry was giving him. "Come on," he said, holding out both hands to Tom. Tom looked up at him and took his hands, helping quite a bit to get him off the ground. As the two walked back by Harry, Dougie stopped and turned to look at him, a contemplative look on his face. "I started being a good kid when I stopped hanging out with _you_," he said, not caring about the sudden offended look on Harry's face.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Harry yelled, but Dougie just shrugged and walked away, pulling Tom with him.


	17. Chapter 17

As Dougie and Tom pulled back up to Dougie's dad's house, they noticed another car parked in the driveway. Dougie's face went blank as he looked over to the window, noticing two, dark figures moving awfully close to one another. Tom and Dougie exchanged glances, both with the same thought in mind: _girlfriend_. "Great," Dougie muttered as he stepped out of the car. "Another new parent figure in my life," he continued, closing the card door, and walking across the lawn slowly. "Just what I fucking need."

"Maybe it's just a friend," Tom offered, jogging to catch up with Dougie.

"Don't be naive!" Dougie snapped, turning back to look at Tom with a dull, yet fiery look in his eyes. "He told me he had something important to talk to me about."

Tom sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe she'll be nice..."

Dougie stopped and looked at Tom, a serious look on his face. "He doesn't pick 'nice' women," he started, before turning around and opening the front door.

"Your mum's a nice lady..." Tom said, following Dougie inside and closing the door behind him.

Dougie laughed and shook his head. "To _you_, maybe... but don't forget, I had to get it somewhere," Dougie pointed out. Tom sighed and shook his head, deciding it would be better to just leave it alone. "Daaad!" Dougie called. There was a loud clang from the kitchen, drawing both of the boy's attention toward that area of the house. "Dad?" Dougie and Tom walked slowly into the kitchen, both slightly surprised to see Charles standing there, his hair ruffled and his cheeks pink. But what was more shocking was the tall, limber, brown haired man standing next to him.

"Hey, kid," Charles said, laughing nervously.

Dougie's mouth slowly dropped open, and a quiet laugh escaped from the back of his throat. "Oh my god," he said quietly, looking from his father, to this new mystery man standing in his father's kitchen.

"What?" Tom asked innocently, looking from the two men, down to Dougie.

"Like father, like son..." Dougie muttered, before slowly turning and walking away.

"Whaaat?" Tom continued, giving both men a polite wave as he left the room after Dougie.

Charles turned to the man, trying to hold back the amused smile on his lips. "Well, I think he took that rather well," he decided with a quick nod of his head. The two men just stared at each other for a second, before simultaneously bursting into hearty laughter.

Dougie laid back in the bed after having changed into pajama bottoms, his feet hanging over the edge and his hands resting casually on his stomach, as he stared up at the ceiling. "Wow..." he whispered, not quite sure what to think of his father being a homosexual. "Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I guess..." he muttered, closing his eyes and sighing quietly.

"What apple?" Tom asked as he walked back into the room he would be sleeping in, and threw his wet clothes on the top of his bag.

"Don't you get it?" Dougie asked, propping himself up on his elbows, and smiling goofily at Tom.

Tom shook his head and sat down next to Dougie, laying back in the bed next to him. "Nope," he said, turning his head to look over at Dougie, who had laid back down next to him. "Get what?"

Dougie tried to hold in his laughter, but he couldn't help but snicker at the innocence of his friend. "My dad's gay," he whispered.

There was a confused look on Tom's face; almost contemplative, even. And within a second, his eyes had gotten wide, and his mouth had dropped open. "Ooooh..." he said quietly, looking back up at the ceiling slowly.

Dougie laughed and nodded his head, also returning his gaze to the ceiling. "Yeah." The two remained silent for a minute, the only sound passing between them being the sound of their breathing. "You know what I just realized?" Dougie asked, turning his head to the side to look at Tom again.

"What?" Tom asked, turning his face as well, so their noses were only a few inches apart.

Dougie smiled and scooted a little bit closer. "I have three father figures, now."

Tom laughed and shook his head, looking back up at the ceiling with a dreamy expression on his face. "Well isn't that somthing?" he asked, earning a laugh and a nod from Dougie. "I wonder..." he started, looking back to Dougie.

"What?" Dougie asked, rolling over onto his stomach, and resting his head on Tom's shoulder, and his hand on his chest.

"Do you think that's why your mom and your dad got divorced?" he asked, moving his hand to rest gently on the backside of Dougie's shoulder.

Dougie laughed quietly into his shoulder, and turned his head to rest it in the crook of Tom's neck, nuzzling his face sleepily in it. He'd been up for about sixteen hours, and his body was beginning to feel the effect of that long day. "Either that, or my mom drove him to it," he joked, wrapping his arm securely around Tom's body.

Tom sighed happily and wrapped his other arm around Dougie, getting a secure hold on his own wrist, so he was basically just hugging Dougie. "Why're you so harsh on your mama?" he asked, letting his eyes fall closed.

Dougie just shrugged and closed his eyes, letting the feeling of that perfect moment wash over him. He sighed happily, nuzzling deeper into Tom's body. "Why are we talking about my mom?" he asked, his words slightly muffled in Tom's neck.

Tom laughed and shook his head. "I don't know." From that moment on they were quiet, neither wanting to disturb the perfection of their situation.

When Charles walked in a half hour later to check on them and talk to Dougie a bit more, he found the two laying like that, both sound asleep; both with content smiles on their faces. He just smiled and turned off the light, closing the door quietly behind him.

Dougie woke slowly, his eyes transitioning from opened to closed for a good portion of the morning. Every time he woke up, Tom's presence reminded him of where they were, and why they were in the positions in which they found themselves. He laid quietly on his side, his chest rising and falling steadily, but other than that, the boy made no movements, fear of waking the sleeping boy next to him practically rendering him incapable. Tom's body spooning against him, his arm wrapped securely around Dougie's middle, his face buried in the back of Dougie's neck; it all just felt too perfect to disturb.

There was a foreign feeling that Dougie got from laying with Tom; one that he hadn't let himself feel in a very long time. But then again, when he really thought about it, it didn't seem so strange to him. He knew exactly what he was feeling, and that was what scared him the most. He didn't want to fall in love; simple as that. He'd let himself get too close once before, and from the moment it was over, he promised himself it wouldn't happen again. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, the mixture of dread and contentment making him feel sick. He didn't like that Tom made him happy; he absolutely hated it, in fact.

_It's time to move on, Love._

He sighed and rolled over, looking at Tom's features carefully. He looked so peaceful while he slept; although, Tom generally looked pretty peaceful all the time. There was something so different about this boy than any of the other people – girl or boy – that he had met. Everyone else was dangerous; they were in it for drugs, booze, and sex appeal. Everyone else he'd ever dated or had sex with or whatever... they were different; they were fake.

But Tom was so different. Tom was beautiful in every way possible; physically and emotionally. Dougie didn't think he'd ever met a more caring, innocent, decent, trustworthy, lovable person; and he was pretty sure he wouldn't find another like him if he spent his life looking. Gently, Dougie raised his fingers to Tom's lips, running his index finger slowly over his bottom lip. The soft feel of Tom's lips gave Dougie the burning desire to lean over and kiss him, but something kept him from doing so. Biting down on his lip ring, he pulled his eyes away from Tom, looking instead at the red bedding that had gotten pushed down to his and Tom's hips through some course of the night. He toyed with it mindlessly, going over his reasons for not being with Tom.

_Let go._

The more he thought about those reasons, the less valid they seemed. He looked back up at Tom, biting down even harder on his lip. It was him; that's what it all came down to in the end. He knew he had no reason for not letting himself love Tom; it was all about him being afraid.

A hand on his cheek pulled Dougie out of a trance he didn't realize he'd fallen into, and he found himself staring into the divinely chocolate eyes of the very boy that had been tormenting his thoughts. There was such a compassionate gaze in his eyes; such strong feelings came from them. In all honesty, it scared Dougie to see those feelings, especially considering he knew they were for him. "You alright?" he asked quietly, rubbing his thumb gently across Dougie's cheek.

Dougie nodded and laid back on his back, staring up at the ceiling. "Yeah..." he muttered, putting his hands back on his stomach, so he was laying in the same position as the night before.

Tom propped himself up on his side with his elbow and leaned over Dougie, smiling down at him. "You sure?" He asked, pushing Dougie's soft, un-styled, blonde hair out of his face, and running his fingers though it gently.

Dougie smiled and closed his eyes. "Yeah, but if you aren't careful, you're gonna put me back to sleep," he said quietly.

Tom smiled and moved his hand to Dougie's stomach, resting it there lightly. "Sorry," he muttered, looking away slowly. He looked down at Dougie, his eyes taking in every detail of his face. He moved his hand up to cup Dougie's cheek gently, causing Dougie to open his eyes again and stare up at Tom questioningly. But as Tom began to lean down, Dougie allowed himself a small smile, before leaning up to meet him; their lips pressing softly together in an innocent, sweet kiss.

Although Dougie was quite used to the sort of thing, Tom's mind was swimming with thoughts. _What am I doing?_ had been a reoccurring thought over the past few months, and this situation was no exception to it. Every glance, every touch, every kiss; Tom couldn't help but wonder what was making him behave in the way he did. In all his life, he never would've expected himself to end up laying on top of another boy, sharing numerous, soft kisses with him. In his mind, it was _so wrong_, and yet, it felt _so right_.

Tom pulled back slowly, keeping his eyes closed as he pressed his forehead gently to Dougie's. "So, what do you wanna do today?" Dougie asked, causing Tom to pull up and look down at Dougie with a smile.

"I dunno... what do you all do around here for fun?" he asked, again running his fingers through Dougie's hair.

Dougie smiled and closed his eyes, relishing in the feeling of Tom's fingers combing through his hair. "Mmmm..." he moaned quietly, taking a deep breath in afterward. "A lot, really..." he muttered, opening his eyes and looking back up at Tom with a content smile. "Just depends on what you wanna do..." he continued, taking Tom's hand from his hair and instead tangling his fingers with his, and smiling sweetly up at him. Dougie didn't know when 'sweet' became an adjective for him, but something about Tom changed him.

Tom smiled and leaned down, placing another soft kiss on Dougie's willing lips. Before he'd felt weird about it, but now that he'd started kissing Dougie, it felt as if he never wanted to stop. He pulled back after a short second, keeping his kiss short and sweet. "Alright, I can't believe I slept so damn long!" he complained, before standing and stretching his arms high above his head.

"Really?" Dougie asked, glancing at the clock, which read: 10:42 AM. He smiled and sat up, stretching as well. "I'm surprised I even woke up this early!" he joked, standing next to Tom, and placing his hands on Tom's revealed stomach. Tom flinched and dropped his arms, bringing his shirt back down over his torso, along with Dougie's hands. "Scared?" Dougie asked, pressing the pads of his fingers into Tom's tough stomach muscles.

Tom blushed gently and shook his head. "Cold hands..." he said quietly. He placed his hands around Dougie's neck gently, his thumbs pressing underneath his jaw, and running over his jawline slowly. "Mine?" he asked, tilting his head to the side and smiling a coy smile.

Dougie shook his head and leaned forward a bit. "They're never cold," Dougie said, moving his hands from under Tom's shirt, and instead wrapping them slowly up around Tom's neck, earning another flinch. "Your skin is just so warm," he whispered as he leaned up on his toes, stretching his body up as far as possible to bring his lips gently to Tom's.

Tom smiled against his lips, but stayed only a short second before pulling away. "We can't just do this ALL day."

Dougie sighed and nodded his head, pulling away. "Okay, how about we head down to the peer for a bit? There are lots of little shops down in that area, and we could always end up on the beach," he suggested, running his hands slowly down from Tom's neck to his chest.

Tom smiled and nodded quickly. "I like the beach."

"Are you sure this thing's edible?" Tom asked, looking over his hot dog carefully.

Dougie laughed and leaned casually over the wooden rail of the dock they stood on. "Quite positive," he said, before taking a bite out of his own hotdog. He chewed it rather animatedly, making all sorts of 'mmmm' noises as he did. "It's good! Just try it!" he urged him, pushing his arm towards his mouth. Tom grimaced but took a bite anyway, keeping his eyes closed as he chewed his very first hot dog. Dougie watched in anticipation, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "Well?" Tom's eyes slowly opened and he looked at Dougie, before taking another bite. "It's good! I told you!"

Tom laughed, doing his best to keep the chewed food in his mouth. "Maybe," he muttered through a mouthful of food.

Dougie just laughed and shook his head, before looking back out over the water. It looked even prettier during the day, which was why he was glad he and Tom had gone out to the peer.

"Oooh, Diva D!"

Dougie groaned and turned to see Harry, Danny, Seth, and some girl he'd never seen before coming toward him. "Hey guys," he greeted, turning and leaning against the rail with his arms crossed over his chest.

"What are you two looooove birds up to?" Harry asked, smiling knowingly.

"Shut up!" Dougie snapped, lunging forward and pushing Harry square on the chest.

Harry stumbled backwards, a look of surprise on his face. "Jeez, Doug, I was kidding!" Harry defended himself, brushing off his shirt.

"Yeah, yeah..." Tom watched Dougie carefully, slightly frightened by the sudden change in Dougie's mood. "We're not doing much right now," Dougie answered Harry's question, everyone going back to normal as if nothing had ever happened. It made Tom wonder if the group always functioned that way, because it didn't seem as if they were even phased by Dougie's sudden show of anger.

"You wanna be doing something?" Seth asked, sticking his hand in his pocked and seemingly making a fist.

"Why, you got something?" Dougie inquired, his voice lowering a bit.

"We got some damn shit," Danny said with a nod of his head and a quick glance around.

Dougie smiled and stood, giving a short nod of his head. "Where'd you get it?" he asked. Tom looked at him with confusion. He had absolutely no idea what any of them were talking about, but apparently there was something new for him to do! He just smiled at the idea of something to do, not understanding the situation at all.

"Leo has connections," Seth stated, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She gave him a sideways glance, her lips curled in a demanding smirk. Giving her a sweet smile, he leaned over and kissed her cheek, being rather loud about it.

"Okay, let's go smoke some pot," Seth said with a grin and a nod.

"Let's go what?" Tom asked, following as everyone started walking away. No one answered his question; they all just kept walking, even Dougie, who seemed to fall into this weird state when he was with these people; one that Tom couldn't say he liked. He followed them down a few streets until they got to another large house. "Dougie?" he asked quietly, although was answered with a single look from the other boy; a look which succeeded in shutting Tom up instantly. He followed them passively into the house and into a large bedroom which read 'Seth' on the outside.

"Close the door, close the door!" Danny told Tom, who nodded and closed the door quietly behind him.

"I bet you've missed this smell," Seth laughed as he pulled a small bag out of his pocket and opened it. The smell of skunk instantly filled the room, and Tom found himself cringing against the vile scent.

Dougie closed his eyes and smelled the air, nodding his head slowly. "Fuck yes," he muttered, opening his eyes and looking back to Seth hungrily. "So long..."

"Since what?" Tom asked, tilting his head to the side, although no one paid him any attention. They were all too focused on what Seth had sitting in his lap. Even Tom was slightly entertained with the next thing that was brought into the circle by Leo. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but it was about a foot tall, glass, shaped kind of weirdly, and was all sorts of pretty, swirly colors. "What's that?" he asked. Everyone turned to look at him this time, each giving him the same look: _Are you stupid? _"Sorry..." he muttered, looking away quickly.

"Where'd you find this guy?" Harry asked bitterly, pointing toward him with a thumb. Dougie just swallowed but didn't say anything, offering no verbal nor physical answer. Tom bit his cheek and looked down at the carpet, scratching his head uncomfortably. When he looked back up, they were shoving some stuff from the bag into the little cup-looking thing coming out of the side of the tall vase-looking' thing, and getting ready to hold a lighter to it. "Seth?" he asked, holding both articles out to Seth, who took them willingly.

"Dougie... this is to you, man," Seth toasted, holding up the vase-thing to Dougie, before leaning down and pressing it to his skin around his lips. He lit the lighter on the cup-thing and breathed in a few times, creating a bunch of smoke in the vase-thing. But within a few seconds, all the smoke was gone, and Seth was sitting up again, breathing it all out. He coughed and more smoke came out, not only through his mouth, but through his nose, as well. "Leo," he muttered, handing it to Leo next.

That was when it all clicked in Tom's mind. His mouth slowly fell open and he watched closely as Leo did the same thing as Seth, only holding the smoke in her chest much longer than he had. Then it was passed around, until finally it was in Dougie's hands. Tom stared at Dougie, his eyes wide with innocence. "Dougie... what're you doing?" Tom asked, causing everyone to turn and look at him.

"I..." he turned to look at his friends, who were all giving him the same, snobby look. "I'm..." He bit down on his lip ring, his stomach twisting in his body. "What do you think I'm doing?" he asked, his voice becoming arrogant as he turned to look at Tom with a raised eyebrow. His friends snickered quietly at his response, but they each silenced quickly afterward.

"But... you said..."

"What, you gonna tell my mom?" he asked with a cocky laugh, earning more laughter from his friend's.

Tom stared at him, his eyes showing hurt. "No, I just– "

"What? You think this is wrong?" he continued, getting brattier and brattier the more he talked.

"You know how I feel about... you know..."

"What, pot?" Tom stared at Dougie's face, the smug smirk on it not one that he associated with the boy anymore. This was a side to Dougie that Tom hadn't had to see in quite a while, and he couldn't say that he'd missed it. Tom stared at him a moment longer, before standing and walking back to Seth's door, not even turning around before opening the door and leaving the room, making sure to shut the door behind him.

All of Dougie's friends were laughing hysterically now, each patting him on the back. "What a fucking pussy!" Seth laughed.

"I can't believe you made out with that freak," Harry stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

Everyone turned to look at Dougie with wide eyes, who was just looking down at his hands

"You did?!" Danny yelled, pushing Dougie's shoulder lightly.

Dougie swallowed and continued to look at his hand. Tom? Or weed? He licked his lips, although his mouth was so dry he didn't know if it would actually help or not. While his image to his friend was important to him, and while he wanted to get high again, the thought of Tom running around alone in down town L.A. scared him; plus he felt bad for the way he'd treated him.

"Oh yeah! You should've seen them rolling around on the beach last night!"

"Dougie!"

He looked up and stood up quickly "I have to go," he muttered quickly and bolted out the door, leaving it open behind him.

"Where are you going?!" Danny called, standing and looking after him. "Come on," he motioned to his friends, before taking off after Dougie. "Dougie!"

"Tom! Wait!" he called as he ran through the front door. Everyone ran out after him, watching as he ran down the driveway and lunged himself onto Tom's back, who had just gotten to the end of the driveway when Dougie attacked.

Tom stumbled forward a bit, but managed to catch Dougie's arms before they both fell. "Dougie, what the he– "

"I'm sorry!" he interrupted, leaning his face far over Tom's shoulder so he was cheek to cheek with him. Wrapping his arms gently around Tom's neck to hold himself to his back with his feet still dangling, Dougie sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm really, really sorry," he muttered, holding tight to his friend.

Everyone stood in silence at the strange sight before them. Dougie apologizing was definitely something new for them.

"You promise you didn't..."

"No! I didn't! I fucki–freaking swear!" Tom smiled and moved his hands to the backs of Dougie's legs, signaling for him to jump up again. Dougie smiled and hoisted himself up, and the two walked off like that into the distance.

Danny, Seth, and Harry all stood around staring at each other. "No fucking way," Harry muttered with disbelief.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Seth asked cautiously.

Harry shook his head quickly, refusing to believe it to be true. "Yes you do, Harry. Dougie's in love."

Everyone was quiet for a minute, each just standing around awkwardly on Seth's lawn. "This is totally bringing down my high," Harry muttered, before turning to walk back in Seth's house.


	18. Chapter 18

Over the next couple of days, Dougie and Tom spent more time together than they ever had before. They woke up together, got dressed together, ate together, hung out together, and at the end of the day, they went to sleep together, only to wake up together the next day. Dougie took Tom all over L.A.; leading him around to all the best shops and things. The two had never been so close, and they were both loving every bit of it. The best part of it was, Dougie's friends were no where to be seen. Tom relished in the fact that Dougie had turned down his friends and his old habits, and the fact that it was done to be with him only made him love his friend that much more.

He looked at Dougie when he came back into the room with some clothes and a strange rubbery suit, smiling sweetly at him. As Dougie walked closer and sat the items on the bed, Tom glanced around and leaned down to place a quick kiss on Dougie's cheek. Dougie turned and looked up at him, smiling broadly. "What was that for?" he asked cooly.

Tom just smiled and shrugged, turning his attention to the other side of the room. "Can't I just do it 'cause I want to?" he asked quietly, trying to keep the shy smile from his face, but failing miserably. Dougie snaked his arm gently around Tom's back, while the other hand moved it's way slowly up his stomach and chest. Tom smiled, but kept his attention turned away from Dougie, playing his friend's little game for once. Dougie leaned up slowly on his toes and pressed his lips softly to the skin below Tom's jaw, his lip ring moving smoothly across the slightly stubbly skin. "Don't do that," Tom joked, pulling away and looking down at the other boy.

Dougie moaned quietly and leaned up, instead placing a kiss just below Tom's bottom lip. "Why not?" he asked, looking up at Tom with confusion as he pulled away again.

"'Cause, I haven't shaved yet..."

Dougie adored the way Tom's cheeks turned pink when he was embarrassed, and he loved the things Tom got embarrassed about [like not shaving]. He leaned up and kissed Tom's jaw again, smiling defiantly against his skin.

Tom closed his eyes and laughed quietly, enjoying the feeling of Dougie's lips on his skin. "So, what's this thing?" He asked, grabbing the rubbery suit after opening his eyes.

"That!" Dougie started, pulling away and taking it from him. He unfolded it, revealing a whole body suit, its colors blue and black. "Is my wetsuit!" he finished, holding it up proudly.

Tom grabbed the arm of the suit and pulled on it, watching with fascination at the way it stretched. "What's it for?"

Dougie smiled and folded the suit, throwing it on the bed again. "Surfing," he said, smiling up at Tom sweetly.

"Surfing? I didn't know you liked to surf."

Dougie grinned and nodded his head. "Yup, and you're gonna learn today!" He said, wrapping his arms up around Tom's neck.

Tom's eyes widened and his shoulders dropped some as he looked down at Dougie. "What?" he asked, staring down at him.

"I'm gonna teach you how to surf!" Dougie reiterated, his smile never wavering.

"I can't surf!" Tom protested. "I don't wanna die!"

"You won't die!" Dougie laughed, pulling his arms from Tom's neck and resting them on his chest.

"You don't know that!"

"Oh, come on, Tooom... it'll be fun!"

Tom shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not doing it!"

Dougie leaned up slowly and kissed Tom's bottom lip, taking it into his mouth and biting down on it gently as he pulled away. He stared up at Tom, his eyes wide and innocent looking, and his baby pink lips pouted almost pathetically. "Puh-puh-puh-pweese, don't do this to me..." he said quietly, his eyes watering up a bit. "Puh-puh-puh-pweese?" he finished, his voice turning into a high squeak.

Tom's bottom lip quivered as he tried to keep his face straight, but it wasn't long before he was cracking and smiling down at his friend. "Aaah... alright..." he grumbled.

"Yes!" Dougie exclaimed, jumping up a bit and pumping his fist in the air. "Works every time..." he finished with an arrogant smirk.

"Oh, shut up."

Dougie stuck his tongue out at Tom, before turning and walking out of the room, down the hall, and into the other room which his clothes were still in. He knew his dad probably wasn't unaware of the fact that he slept in Tom's room every night, but he figured out of 'respect' he would keep his clothes in the other room, as if he actually used it. Walking over to the larger of the two suitcases on the floor next to the bed, he flipped it open and pulled out a pair of black and white checkered vans, although most of the white squares had been colored in rather creatively by him and his friends years back.

"You got too many shoes," Tom said, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms over his chest.

Dougie scoffed and closed the bag, standing and throwing the shoes on the ground. "Whatever, you can't have too many pairs of shoes!" he said sarcastically as he slipped his feet into the shoes. "You just don't have enough!" he continued snidely, walking back to Tom and pushing him to the side so he could get out the door. Tom slid to the side and waited for Dougie to go through the door, before shutting it and following closely behind Dougie.

"I don't need more shoes!" Tom said, reaching his arms around Dougie's waist and pulling him closely to his body as they walked.

"Yes you do!" Dougie protested, walking with a bit of difficulty back into Tom's room and grabbing his wetsuit from the bed.

"No I don't! I got plenty!"

"Whatever you say," Dougie taunted, placing his hands over Tom's and squeezing them lightly.

Tom laughed and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the base of Dougie's neck. Dougie's head tilted to the side and his eyes fell closed, his feet ceasing movement. Letting out a dreamy sigh as Tom's lips caressed his neck gently, Dougie muttered, "You're too good sometimes." Tom smiled against Dougie's skin, laughing quietly through his nose.

He pulled back and rested the side of his face on Dougie's shoulder, practically having to bend himself in half to do so. "I try," he muttered, hugging Dougie tightly. Dougie's gaze softened and he stared off to the side, that strange yet familiar fuzzy feeling running through his arms and fingers again.

He coughed quietly, blinking a few times to get his eyes back in focus. "We should go," he said quietly, not wanting to disturb the moment, but needing to at the same time. Tom nodded and stood straight again, picking Dougie up with him so his feet were hanging inches off the ground "So this is what it's like to be tall..." Dougie muttered, looking around at the house.

"How does it feel?" Tom asked, smiling broadly at the back of his head.

"It feels..." Dougie started, kicking his feet a bit. "Tall."

Tom laughed and nodded his head. "Yup, that's about how it feels." He moved his head to the side of Dougie's and began to walk carefully down the stairs, making sure not to drop his precious cargo.

"You drop me and I'll kill you," Dougie warned jokingly, as if able to read Tom's mind.

Tom smiled and let out a quiet laugh. "I promise I won't."

As they got down the stairs, Tom walked toward the door, waiting while Dougie twisted the knob open and walking back to open it. "I could get used to this," Dougie laughed as they walked out the door, Tom pulling it most of the way closed with his foot, but having to turn around to have Dougie pull it the rest of the way closed. Dougie held the wetsuit close to his body as Tom carried him, his feet dangling over the ground.

"Hold on," Tom muttered, dropping Dougie back to the ground and pulling his pants up.

"Excuse you!" Dougie scoffed, tapping his foot on the ground.

"I'm sorry, Princess," Tom said sarcastically, bowing his head in mock-formality.

"I need to be carried if I'm gonna teach you how to surf!"

Tom turned around and squatted down a bit, glancing at Dougie from over his shoulder. "Get on my back," he said, pointing to himself with his thumb over his shoulder.

Dougie looked at him like he was crazy for a second. "You're gonna have to get down lower than that,," he joked, reaching up and placing his hands on Tom's shoulders.

Tom squatted down more, so he was level with Dougie. "Man, you're short!"

"Oh, shush!" Dougie scolded, before hopping onto Tom's back and wrapping his arms around Tom's neck.

Tom's hands went to the backs of Dougie's knees, and he stood, jumping up a bit to hoist Dougie higher on his back. "There, now we're good."

Dougie smiled and sighed another dreamy sigh. "Tooo fucking good," he muttered, leaning his chin down to rest on Tom's shoulder.

"You better not fall asleep back there!" Tom warned.

Dougie sat up and bounced a bit, loosening his grip on Tom's neck. "Run, horsey! Run!" he screamed, reaching back and slapping Tom hard on the ass.

"Ow!" he screamed, jumping forward a few extra feet. "You jerk!"

"Ruuuun!" Tom sighed and began to run, only jogging at first, but slowly working up to a fast paced run. "Faster, Tom, faster!" Tom smirked and leaned down a little bit, getting a rather determined look on his face. Taking in a deep breath, he ran as fast as he could, his long legs taking a quarter of the steps Dougie would've had to take to have kept up with him. Dougie's grip on Tom's neck tightened and he leaned down against his back, his chin resting over Tom's shoulder. "NOT THAT FAST! NOT THAT FAST! NOT THAT FAST!" he screamed, closing his eyes.

Tom tried to laugh, but his breath got caught in his throat, and he coughed quietly, his feet stumbling a bit as he slowed down to a run, then a jog, and finally back down to walking. "You said... you wanted... to go fast..." he muttered, his breathing heavy.

"I didn't know you'd run like a freaking race horse!" Dougie yelled, his eyes wide and his arms and legs wrapped tightly around Tom.

Tom shook his head and breathed in deeply, the air stinging at his throat. "You slapped... my... ass..." he breathed, moving a hand from Dougie's leg to rest instead on his side. Dougie had wrapped himself so tightly around Tom that Tom could've let go completely and he still wouldn't have fallen. "You got me so excited," he joked, standing straight again and placing his hand back on Dougie's leg.

Dougie's grip loosened considerably and he sat up, placing his hands on Tom's shoulders, rather than wrapping them around his neck. "You just made a sexual joke!" he said, his mouth hanging open with shock.

Tom's cheeks turned pink and he got rather tense. "I did not," he muttered with embarrassment.

Dougie grinned and wrapped his arms back around Tom's neck, holding tight as they came to a stop at a crosswalk. "Yes you did!" he laughed, before looking over and kicking the button to make the light for them change.

"Well... you do it all the time!" Tom defended himself, walking across the street when the light changed.

"If I jumped off a bridge, would you do it, too?" Dougie asked, letting go with one arm and poking Tom gently in the cheek.

"Probably," he said quietly, looking off to the side.

Dougie grew silent and he stared at the back of Tom's head, putting his hand back on Tom's shoulder. "That..." He blinked and continued to stare, not quite sure what Tom meant by 'probably'. "You ruined the point!"

"What was the point?" Tom asked with a laugh.

Dougie's mouth opened and a small sound came out, but no words. "Uhhh..." he closed his mind and slumped against Tom's shoulder with defeat. "I don't remember."

Tom laughed and stopped at another street light, pushing the button this time for himself. "A.D.D." he pointed out, glancing back to look at Dougie sweetly.

"Yeah, yeah..." Dougie sat up and looked around as Tom again started crossing the street. "Where are you taking us?" he asked, pulling the wetsuit from between his stomach and Tom's back, and instead holding it in front of Tom's chest, his arms hanging lazily over Tom's shoulders.

"To the beach...?"

"You remember how to get there?"

"Yeah...? I may be a hick, but I'm not stupid."

Dougie smiled and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on the back of Tom's neck. "I know," he muttered against his skin. Tom smiled and sighed quietly. He was pretty sure he'd never been so happy before in his life. He stopped and turned, facing across the street as he pressed the button a few times impatiently. "Aren't you tired yet?" Dougie asked, sitting up and switching the suit to the other hand.

"No, why?" Tom asked, beginning to walk across the street as the light changed.

"Because you've carried me the whole way..."

Tom bounced in the middle of his step, hoisting Dougie up again. "No, you're not heavy," he said cooly. "You're nothing compared to a bail of hay or two."

Dougie laughed and shook his head. "You're such a farm boy."

"Yeah? And yer such a city boy."

"Hey, I can kick it on the farm," Dougie scoffed.

Tom just laughed and shook his head. "Alright, whatever you say."

"What? I can!"

"I'd like to see you get through my chores in time to eat breakfust, shower and still get to school on time."

"I can do it!"

"Alright, you're on!"

"Fine! When we get back home, I'll show you!" Tom stopped walking. He stared ahead, a small smile working at the corners of his lips. "Tom?" Dougie asked, leaning over his shoulder and looking at the side of his face. "Hello?"

Tom turned to look at him, a sweet, crooked smile on his lips. "You just called Arkansas 'home'."

Dougie stared at him, his mouth open a bit. "I... I guess I did," he said quietly.

Tom smiled and leaned far over to place a small kiss on Dougie's lips, but just as soon as he was kissing him, he was looking forward and walking again. And although Tom was over the shock soon enough, Dougie was still stuck on it. That was the first time he'd ever referred to Arkansas as home, and it'd rolled off his tongue so easily! He didn't know when he'd changed from a rude Californian to a decent kid from Arkansas, and the change had seemed to occur over night.

"Dougie? Where's the beach access?" Tom asked, pulling Dougie's attention back to Earth.

"What?" he looked around, noticing they were near the beach. "Oh, right over there," he said, pointing to a parking lot that lead to a path which led to the beach. "We have to stop at the board shop and rent some surf boards and a suit for you, too, but that's right on the beach," he continued quietly.

"Alright," Tom muttered, hopping so Dougie was higher on his back again. He walked down the sidewalk slowly, and still just as slowly through the parking lot. He couldn't say he wasn't nervous about his surfing lesson, in fact, he could say that he was down right frightened.

And even as Dougie was picking out a good beginner board and making him try on a wetsuit, Tom's stomach was only tying itself into more knots. "You're sure I'm not gonna die?" he asked from the dressing room, looking at himself in the mirror.

"You aren't going to die!" Dougie called, pulling a board off the wall and placing it on the counter. "He's never surfed before," he explained to the kid behind the counter, a kid who he'd gone to school with for a few years before moving.

"Aaah, first timer. It's always a little scary on your first time," the kid – Tony – laughed.

Dougie nodded and smiled, before turning to look toward the dressing room, which was nothing more than a shower curtain over the corner of the store. "Tom, what's taking so long?!"

"I look dumb," he complained, not wanting to come out.

"Oh, come on! You can't look that bad!"

"I'm not used to this! I wear flannel! Not some weird rubber shit!"

Dougie snorted with laughter and shook his head. "Come on, I'm wearing one too! It's okay!" he said as he walked over to the curtain.

"I'm not doing it," he muttered childishly.

Dougie sighed and pulled the curtain back enough to walk in with him. "Oh, come on! You look hot."

"Don't say that!"

Tony and a few others looked over at the curtain, some what amused by the two's antics.

"But it's true! You're so muscular!"

"Dougie! Knock it off!"

"But I caaaaan't!"

"Hey, don't touch me!"

"But I need your hot body!"

"Stop that! Hey! Knock it off! DOUGIE!" Tom fell out of the curtain, landing on his ass on the ground. His cheeks turned red as he noticed all the people in the shop looking at him with smirks on their faces.

"If it helps, you do look totally hot," some guy muttered, leaning down next to Tom and giving him a wink.

Tom's eyes widened and he scurried across the floor, managing to stand, and running out the door. "Tom, where are you going?" Dougie called after him. He sighed and walked back to the counter. "I guess that one'll work," he laughed, throwing some money on the counter, and taking the two boards that he'd picked out for them to use. He walked out the door, looking around for where Tom was hiding. "Tom..." he muttered, noticing him attempting to hide behind a bench. He walked over and stuck the boards in the sand, staring down at Tom with hands on his hips. "You know, it's really hard for someone as big as you to hide behind a bench."

"That guy was looking at me!" he whispered almost hysterically.

"Tom, everybody's looking at you. You're huddled on the ground behind a freaking bench, for God's sake," he muttered with a roll of his eyes. He extended his hands down to Tom, smiling down at him.

Tom sighed and took his hands, helping greatly in pulling himself up. "I still say I look stupid."

"Oh come on, your ass looks totally hot in that," Dougie muttered, looking back at Tom's butt with a smirk.

"Shut up!" Tom yelled, spinning around and staring down at Dougie, his cheeks hot.

Dougie smiled and pushed Tom back. "Come on, take your board," he muttered, grabbing the shorter of the two and starting out across the beach toward the water.

Tom looked back at his own butt for a second, before grabbing the board and running after Dougie. "I don't see what's so damn great about my ass..." he muttered, turning to look back at it again.

Dougie smiled and sighed. "That's just because you and I have different views," he pointed out. He reached over slyly and grazed his hand gently across Tom's butt, looking away as if doing nothing.

Shivers ran through Tom's body and he jumped to the side, his eyes wide with shock. "Hey! Hey! Not in public..." he muttered, glancing around to make sure no one was looking at them.

"Oh, you're such a prude!" Dougie muttered, stopping and dropping his board on the ground.

Tom looked at him with confusion. "What're we doing?" he asked, holding the surf board in both hands.

"I'm teaching you how to surf! Now put your board on the sand next to mine," Dougie instructed.

Tom nodded slowly, placing it carefully on the sand. "Why don't we do it in the water?"

"You have to get a feel for it first! You can't just start off in the water!"

"How come?" Tom asked quietly.

"Because you'd fall off! Now lay down on your board," he instructed firmly.

Tom nodded and laid down, staring up at Dougie with confusion.

Dougie blinked down at him, trying to not laugh. "... on your stomach, Tom."

"Oh..." Tom turned over onto his stomach.

"Okay, when I count to three, I want to you push yourself up off your board with your hands and jump onto the board like this," Dougie said, demonstrating on his own board when to put his feet and how to stand.

"Alright... but I'm not making any promises..." Tom muttered, staring down at his board nervously.

"Oh, shush, Hot Ass," Dougie joked, kicking Tom in the butt.

It took them a while, but Tom slowly got the hang of surfing. Dougie was actually quite impressed with how well and quickly Tom caught on, which he made sure to tell Tom frequently throughout the day, just as a bit of reassurance. The sun was hanging a bit lower in the sky, but the day was still bright, and the weather was still warm. Dougie laid on his board and paddled over to where Tom was. "Good job!" he said, clapping his hands as Tom went over a small wave without falling off. But of course, upon hearing Dougie's voice, Tom turned and slipped off the side, flipping the board over. "Oh!" Dougie cringed and paddled over to him.

Tom's head popped up and he coughed out some water, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. "Damnit," he muttered, flipping his board back over, but floating in the water. "I'm never gonna get it right."

"You were doing great!" Dougie said, running his fingers through Tom's wet hair.

"No... I screwed up."

Dougie leaned down and kissed the top of Tom's head gently. "That was my fault, I distracted you, you were doing awesome." _God, when did I turn into Mr. Supportive?_ He shook his head and watched as Tom got back on his board, both being pushed to the side a bit by a small wave. "Just keep trying, you'll get better," he said, offering a sweet smile.

Tom smiled weakly and nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess," he muttered.

Dougie smiled and sighed quietly, looking off to the side at the ocean. He could see the line where ocean met sky, but he couldn't even begin to guess how far away that was. "I love it out here," he said quietly, his fingers running smoothly over his board, which smelled of wax and wood. He looked back at Tom, who was staring at him, his eyes soft and his smile dreamy. Looking down, he reached into the water and released himself from his board.

"What're you doing?" Tom asked, watching Dougie carefully as he shimmied himself from his board to Tom's. "Ah! Be careful! You're gonna knock us over!" Tom said, sitting up and holding tightly to the sides.

But Dougie didn't answer him. Instead he scooted closer so his knees were bumping against Tom's, his hands resting on the board and his shoulders leaned forward toward his friend. "Don't be such a baby, Tom," he muttered, leaning further in toward him.

Tom looked to the side nervously, suddenly aware of all the people around them. "Dougie... what're you doing?" he asked.

"Tom... kiss me," he said, moving a bit closer.

"But... all these people... I dunn– " He stopped speaking when he felt Dougie's hand on his cheek. Swallowing thickly, he turned to look at Dougie, his eyes going immediately to Dougie's baby pink lips, then flashing up to his clear, blue eyes. He looked back down to Dougie's lips, before letting his eyes fall closed and leaning in slowly. All thoughts left Tom's mind as his lips met with Dougie's, and the two shared numerous soft kisses, never getting passionate, just staying sweet and loving.

"We have to do something about this," Harry muttered to Danny; the two had been walking to meet up with Seth and Leo when they'd noticed Tom and Dougie out in the water.

"I dunno, Haz, he seems happy..." Danny muttered.

"Is Dougie ever happy?" he asked, getting no response. "He's going to do to this kid the same thing he did to all the other girls and guys he's dated. We have to find out if he really loves Tom," he said sternly.

"He HAS to! When was the last time you saw Dougie apologize to someone? He obviously likes the guy."

"He hasn't been close with anybody since– "

"Now's not the time, Haz."

Harry turned to look at Danny, his gaze fierce. "Fine, but we have to do something."

"What?"

"Mmm..." he trailed off, looking back to Dougie and Tom, who were still kissing. His eyes got wide and he looked to Danny quickly. "I know!" he exclaimed. Danny looked at him with surprise, and Harry pulled him close, looking around conspicuously. "Here's what we're gonna do..."


	19. Chapter 19

"Okay, guys..." Harry, Danny, Seth, Leo, Amanda, Kelsey and Andrew all stood around the corner from Dougie's dad's house, all huddled together in one massive circle. "I called Dougie last night and made plans to hang out today. He's expecting me any minute," Harry said, looking around at everyone. "When I get him out of the house and down the street, I want you to run in the house and kidnap Tom, okay?"

"What if he resists?" Andrew asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, that guy seems to be strong!" Danny chimed in, nodding. "I don't know about you, but I don't feel like dying today."

"Oh, don't be such a pussy, Danny!" Leo taunted, smacking him hard in the arm.

"Ow! You jerk!" Danny complained, smacking her arm back.

"Guys, can we focus, please?" Kelsey asked, sighing over dramatically.

"Yeah, I just wanna do this!" Amanda agreed.

"Okay, I'm just gonna go. You know how Dougie is when we're late!" Harry growled, walking around the corner in a hurry.

"But! What if he resists?!" Andrew yelled again.

"It's six to one! If you guys can't take down one kid, you've got bigger problems!" Harry called back one last time, before turning around and walking down the street.

Everyone took turns looking around the corner, watching as the door opened and Dougie came out. "Okay... they're walking down the sidewalk..." Seth announced quietly. "They're stiiiill walking..." he continued, nodding his head slowly. "They're sti– "

"Seth!" Amanda yelled quietly, throwing a pinecone at him and hitting him square in the side of the head with it.

"Ow!" he yelled, picking it off the ground and throwing it back.

"Could you just tell us when they're GONE, please?!" Amanda sighed, throwing it back at him.

Seth nodded and turned back around, watching them walk down the street slowly. "Okaaaaaay.." he started, holding his arm out as Harry and Dougie walked casually around the street corner. "And they're gone!"

"Kay! Let's go!" Seth said, moving quickly past the others. The group walked down the street quickly, none of them talking. They walked up the driveway and onto the porch, ringing the door bell a few times quickly.

Tom's head perked up when he heard the doorbell ring. "Who the hell..." he muttered, raising slowly from the couch and walking in a relaxed manor to the front door. No one else was home to get it, so he figured he might as well see who it was. When he opened the door, he was greatly surprised by the group of six standing before him, each with the same excited smile. "Uhh... hi..." he muttered, staring at them all. "Dougie isn't here..."

"We know! We came for you!" Kelsey yelled, reaching forward and grabbing onto his arm.

"Whaaat? Why?" He asked, letting himself be pulled out of the house.

"Because, we need to talk," Andrew said, pushing Tom further out of the door, and closing it.

"About what?" Tom asked, turning to look at all the kids behind him, who were all pushing on him.

"About Dougie," Danny informed him, speeding up a bit to walk next to Tom.

"Guys, I haven't got my shoes on!" Tom complained, turning and glancing back at the house as he was pushed onto the sidewalk.

"Where are we going?" Tom asked.

"You'll see!" Seth said, continuing to push him along.

Tom groaned and looked down at the ground. He was getting more irritated by the second. There were small conversations around him, although he didn't join in them or even listen; he just walked and let his mind wander to Dougie, thinking about how he wanted to be with him, and not his 'friends', who didn't seem all that friendly. It was weird for Tom to see them and to see the way they interacted with each other, and even the way Dougie interacted with them. In each and every one of them, Tom saw a bit of Dougie; a bit of the Dougie he first met. That was the Dougie he didn't like – the fake Dougie. The real Dougie was the boy he fell in love with, and he was the only Dougie he wanted to know for the rest of his life.

He looked up at his surroundings, recognizing the park they were at. "I've been here before..." he muttered, looking next to the person standing next to him, who happened to be Andrew that time. Andrew nodded and looked ahead, no one giving anymore of a response to his statement. "What're we doing here?" Tom asked, looking around at everyone.

"We're hanging out!" Seth said with a nod.

"And we're talking!" Danny added.

"About Dougie!" Andrew continued, nodding quickly.

"And YOU!" Leo continued, pointing at him rather enthusiastically.

"And me?" Tom asked, looking at her, then to everyone else with confusion. "I don't get it," he muttered slowly.

Andrew sighed and shook his head. "Come on..." He walked over to a bench, sitting down at it and patting on the seat next to him, motioning for Tom to sit down.

"Alright..." He sat slowly, looking around at everyone else, who all sat at the table except for Danny, who was standing over him.

"There are just some things we need to know," Andrew explained, getting Tom's attention again.

"Like what?"

"Are you and Dougie... together?" Andrew asked delicately.

"Uhh..." Tom looked at him, at a loss for words. "I... I'm not sure," he admitted quietly.

"What d'you mean?" Seth asked, leaning across the table and staring into Tom's eyes. "How do you NOT know?"

"Well..." Tom started, cutting off as everyone leaned in closer. He leaned back again, staring at them like they were all crazy. "He has never said anything'..."

"But you guys have kissed?" Leo asked, resting her chin in her hand.

"I... well..." Tom's cheeks burned pink and he shrunk into himself a bit.

"Okay, that's a yes," she decided, sitting back and laughing.

"Do you guys kiss a lot?" Andrew asked. At this question, Tom only grew more red and tense. He didn't know why these people thought they could ask him personal things like that, but he definitely didn't appreciate it. "Do you?"

"Well... yeah, I guess," Tom muttered quietly. "I mean, not back home... it just sorta happened when we came here..."

Kelsey gasped and clapped her hands excitedly. "OH MY GOSH! REALLY? Tell me the story!" She squealed, bouncing a bit on the table.

"I... NO!" Tom groaned, covering his face with his arms.

"Come on, Tom!" Danny pleaded, attempting to pull his hands away. "Give us the details!"

"No!" Tom yelled, dropping his hands and pushing Danny again. "That stuff's private!"

"Do you have sex?" Amanda blurted out, leaning closer to him.

Tom's eyes shot open wider and he leaned far back from her, his face turning into a brilliant shade of reddish-purple. "NO!"

"Are you gonna get married?" Seth asked quickly.

"WHAT?!"

"How do your friend's feel about you being gay?" Andrew asked calmly.

Tom turned to look at Andrew, his face slowly losing it's color. "I'm not queer," he stated simply, his jaw tense and his gaze fierce.

Everyone stared at him, all questions ceasing to be fired. "You aren't queer?" Andrew asked disbelievingly.

"Damn straight, I'm not!"

"How the hell can you kiss a boy and call yourself straight?" Andrew asked slowly.

"Hey, I have never said I was straight," Tom pointed out with a nod.

"So... then you're bi?"

"I'm what?"

Everyone continued to stare at him with blank expressions on their faces. "You're... bi? As in bisexual?" Andrew said slowly.

"What the hell's that mean?" Tom asked, blinking slowly.

"It means you like boys AND girls," Leo said with a short not.

"Oh... well I'm not," Tom decided, crossing his arms over his chest.

And again, he got nothing but stares. "Then what are you?" Seth asked quietly.

"What d'you mean?" Tom asked, looking around at everyone.

"Well, if you aren't gay, you aren't straight, and you aren't bi... then what the hell are you?" Danny asked, kneeling down on the ground next to him and resting his elbows on the table.

"Well... I'm..." he trailed off quietly, looking around at everyone nervously. "I'm..."

"You're what?" Kelsey asked, rubbing his arm gently.

"I don't wanna say, it's dumb," he muttered, looking down at his lap.

"Oh, come on, just say it," Andrew encouraged him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm a Dougie-oh-sexual, I guess."

"What the hell does that mean?" Danny asked harshly.

"Don't be mean, Dan!" Amanda yelled, smacking him on the arm. "I think it's cute!" Tom looked to the side, his face stern. "It means he only likes Dougie."

"Oh..." Danny muttered, looking back to Tom slowly.

"So... you've never been attracted to another guy?" Andrew asked, raising his eyebrows with confusion. Tom only shook his head in response. "Or a girl?" he continued, getting another head shake. "Just Dougie," he finished with a sigh.

"I only love Dougie," he said quietly, keeping his eyes down. All eyes were on him, and everyone was giving him the same, shocked look. He looked up, glancing around nervously at all the eyes on him. "What?"

"You just said 'love'!" Amanda pointed out in an excited whisper.

"Yeah, so?" Tom asked defensively.

"You love Dougie!" Danny laughed.

"Yeah"

"Oh my god! You're in love with Dougie!" Seth chimed in, clapping his hands together.

"Why the hell do you all keep saying that? I already said it."

"So you're really serious about him, then?" Andrew asked with an intrigued smile.

"Hell yes, I am! I would never deny it. I love Dougie, and I never wanna love anyone else for my whole life." Tom stared at Andrew very seriously, and a dead silence fell over the group.

"So... how will that work in Arkansas?" Leo asked quietly.

Tom licked his lips and swallowed thickly. "I haven't figured that part out, yet."

"Does Dougie feel the same way about you?"

Everyone was silent while they waited for Tom's response. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head slowly. "I haven't got a clue."

"Okay, now what exactly are you planning?" Dougie asked, looking over at Harry accusingly.

"What? Me? Planning? Pssh, planni– please, Dougie! I'm not– I'm not planning anything!" Dougie stared at Harry with a blank expression. "What?"

"You're an awful liar," he stated simply. Harry sighed and looked down at the ice cream cone in his hand. "Why did you call me last night?" Dougie asked slowly.

"Can't a friend just want to hang out?" Harry asked, looking up at him with a hopeful smile.

"A friend? Yes. You? No."

Harry growled and shook his head with irritation. "Fine. What's the deal with you and whats-his-butt?" he asked harshly.

"Umm... I dunno," Dougie muttered, looking down to his own ice cream cone.

"Are you together?"

"Not... officially, I guess."

"Hmm..."

"What?" Dougie stared at Harry, not liking the contemplative look on his face.

"Do you love him?" Harry asked, looking Dougie straight in the eyes for one of the first times that day.

Dougie backed up a bit, taken back by the question. "What?" he asked, blinking rapidly at his friend.

"You heard me. Do you love him?"

"Oh, come on, Haz. We aren't having this conversation," Dougie dismissed the question, sighing and walking past him to discard his ice cream cone in the garbage can.

"Yes we are!" Harry called, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him back around. "Do you love him?" He reiterated sternly, not letting go of Dougie's arm.

"I don't 'love', Harry." Dougie's voice was low and harsh, and his glare was almost piercing. "You know that as well as anybody else."

"But I think you do, because I think you love Tom," Harry said impatiently.

"Love doesn't exist. It's something the movies tell us we need, and something we make ourselves feel."

"Spoken like a true pessimist."

"You shut the fuck up!" Dougie yelled, pushing Harry back a few feet and making him drop his ice cream on the ground.

"You're only proving my point."

"You know I don't believe in love anymore!"

"I've been watching you, Dougie! You do the same thing over and over!"

"Oh, really? And please tell me, Dr. Phil, what my problem is."

"You use people! You get close to someone, have sex with them a few times, and then toss them to the side like they're a fucking pair of old shoes!"

"Yeah, so? What makes you think Tom is any different than any of the others?" Dougie asked defensively.

"How long have you known Tom?"

Dougie stopped and looked up to the sky as he did the math. "Umm... a little over six months."

"And have you had sex with him?" Harry continued, crossing his arms over his chest.

Dougie was silent for a second, staring Harry in the eyes with a look of angry fear. "No."

"That's how he's different." Dougie shook his head and began to walk away, not bothering with another word. "He's different, Dougie, and you know it!" Harry yelled, running after Dougie and grabbing his arm again.

"He means just as much to me as YOU did," Dougie spat, pushing Harry away from him. "Which was nothing."

Harry felt angry tears stinging at his eyes, but he held them in, refusing to show weakness in front of Dougie. "Then prove it," he growled, his jaw tense.

"How?" Dougie retaliated, the same tense anger in his voice.

"Seal the deal tonight. If you have sex with him tonight I'll believe that you don't love him."

"What the hell is that going to prove?"

Harry stared at Dougie, his glare softening a bit. "If you love him, you won't do it."

There were no words exchanged between the two for a few minutes. Harry and Dougie just stared at each other, both with the same fiery glare of determination. Harry was determined to make Dougie see he loved Tom, and Dougie was determined to prove that he didn't.

"You're on."

Dougie leaned against the shower wall, his eyes closed and his breathing heavy. The water was hot, and the showerhead did wonders for all the aches and pains in his back, but nothing could keep the boy's mind off of Tom. He knew what he was going to do, and he knew how he was going to do it. The only thing he didn't know was why was he so nervous? The last time he'd been nervous for sex was the first time he ever did it, and that had been years ago.

He opened his eyes and took in a deep breath, the steam clearing his senses. Something inside him was asking him why he was doing this, but at the same time, he couldn't let Harry be right. He was most certain that Tom was nothing more than a fling, and he wasn't willing to believe otherwise. Tom was never supposed to be more than a fling. Hell, Tom was never supposed to be more than a neighbor, really!

He heard a door close, and he knew Tom was back. He stayed against the shower wall for a minute, looking down at the tile on the bottom of the shower. "I can do this," he muttered, standing and looking at the sliding shower door. He reached behind him and turned off the water, sliding open the door and stepping out into the warm, Californian air. This was definitely something he missed about California; you were never cold after a shower.

Grabbing a towel off of the rack, he wrapped it loosely around his lower half, making sure that it was riding especially low on his hips. His blonde hair was clinging to his wet forehead. He took a deep breath and let it out as he opened the door and walked slowly down the hall. He walked carefully into the room, his stomach tied into knots when he saw Tom standing there, his back turned. _Okay, here goes nothing_, he thought, letting the nerves drop from his body, and magically standing in his place was a completely confident person.

"Hey," he said, a sly smile working its way onto his lips as he closed the door behind him and locked it quietly.

"Oh, hey," Tom said, turning slowly. When he got a good look at Dougie, his eyes widened a bit, but he didn't have much time to react before Dougie had walked over and wrapped his arms around his stomach. Tom stared down at him, his stomach one giant knot from the way Dougie was looking at him. "Did you... have a good day?" he asked quietly, trying with much difficulty to keep his eyes on Dougie's. The fact that he had just walked into the room in nothing more than a towel, gave Tom a funny feeling between his legs.

"Mmmm... it was alright," he said, leaning up and kissing Tom's Adams-apple gently. Dougie could feel Tom swallow nervously, and he knew his plan was working already. Pulling back, he smiled up at Tom, the look in his eyes sweet. "How about you? Had a good day?"

"Yeah.. it was..." he trailed off while Dougie leaned back up and put his lips back on Tom's neck. Tom coughed quietly, that funny feeling between his legs getting a bit stronger. "It was interesting..." he finished quietly.

"Mhmm...?" Dougie kissed his way slowly up Tom's neck, his lips parting and his tongue pressing lightly against the soft skin. He sucked some of it in his mouth and bit down gently, earning a suppressed moan from Tom.

Tom's eyes closed, and his head fell to the side a bit, his hands shaking with nerves. "What're you doing?" Tom asked, taking in a deep, shaky breath when he felt Dougie's tongue run carefully over the edge of his earlobe. "D-Dougie..." he moaned quietly. His pants were beginning to feel tighter, and he didn't quite understand what was happening, or what Dougie was doing. That was when he felt a hand brush over the crotch of his pants. "Dougie," he muttered quickly, his eyes getting wide. He pulled away quickly, watching as Dougie's towel seemed to slip off of his hips in slow motion, fully revealing Dougie's erected penis for the first time to him. His eyes got even wider, and he found himself incapable of words.

"Tom..." Dougie muttered, walking closer to him. He smiled up at him, his gaze soft and loving. "Don't be scared," he said, stepping closer and touching him again. Tom swallowed nervously and watched as Dougie ran his hands up his chest, staring up at him intensely. He leaned up on his toes and pressed his lips lightly to Tom's. It took a minute, but Tom slowly pressed his lips back against Dougie's. His eyes fell closed and he let the moment envelop around him; let the mixed feelings of lust and love encase him completely. Dougie's tongue pressed eagerly into his mouth, which was met with Tom's tongue almost instantly, the moment turning from compassionate to passionate.

Dougie pushed him back against the wall, never taking his lips from Tom's. One hand wandered under Tom's shirt, his fingers finding a nipple and rubbing over it firmly, while the other worked firmly over the denim of his jeans. Tom moaned into Dougie's mouth. All of this was so new to him; these feelings, this situation– and he found himself unsure of what to do. His hands rested gently on Dougie's cheeks, which wasn't exactly the gesture Dougie had been looking for.

Pulling back, Dougie looked up at Tom with a lust-filled smile. Both hands moved to his stomach, pushing his shirt slowly up, his fingertips ghosting across the smooth, sculpted surface of his abs. Dougie felt a quiver go through his entire body at the sight and feel of Tom's toned body. "God, you're hot," he moaned out, pushing the shirt the rest of the way up his body, and practically lunging himself onto his chest. His tongue lavished Tom's nipples, and Tom's breath increased with every flick of Dougie's tongue. Dougie stopped and pulled Tom's shirt the rest of the way off, gave Tom's other nipple a quick lick, then fell to his knees.

His hands fumbled with Tom's belt, and he was quick to have it loosened and his pants unbuttoned and unzipped. Tom's fingers were shaking so badly that he turned his palms to the wall and pressed hard against it, grasping for anything to keep him standing as Dougie's tongue swirled around his bellybutton, then went lower and lower. "Dougie..." Tom moaned, keeping his eyes closed as Dougie pushed his jeans down over his hips and to his ankles. Dougie looked up at Tom, a hungry fire burning in his eyes as he pulled the elastic band of Tom's boxers down, revealing probably the biggest penis he'd ever seen in all of his slutty life. He stared at it for a second, completely oblivious to the embarrassment written all over his friend's face.

"You find new ways to amaze me every day," Dougie muttered, looking up at Tom briefly.

"What?" Tom asked, looking down at Dougie with red cheeks. Although, the thought was short lived, because before he knew what was going on, Dougie had taken the head of Tom's penis into his mouth and was sucking on it gently. Tom let out a surprised gasp of a moan, his eyes getting wide, before squeezing closed. "I..." His fingers were pressing even harder into the wall, and slowly his mouth fell open. His chest rising and falling heavily, he let out several quiet moans, his hands forming fists, which shook almost uncontrollably. Dougie ran his tongue along the underside of Tom's cock, pressing hard into it, before sliding his mouth down over the rest of it, almost fitting it all into his mouth. He pressed past his gag reflex, his head bobbing up and down on Tom's hard cock.

Giving one last hard suck, Dougie slid his mouth off of Tom's penis, and instead began pumping his hand hard along his entire length. "Tom?" He stood and looked up at Tom. Tom's eyes opened and he looked down at him, his mouth still hanging open. "Stay right here," he whispered.

"Bu– " Dougie cut him off by leaning up and kissing him firmly, pressing his tongue hard into Tom's mouth and letting him taste the sticky-sweet taste of his pre-cum.

"I'll be right back," he muttered, grabbing the towel, wrapping it back around his waist, and running back to the bathroom quickly. He rummaged through the drawer, finding a box of extra-lubricated condoms in the back. "Thank you, dad, for being gay," he whispered with a quick sigh. He stuck his head out the bathroom door, made sure no one was around, and ran back to the room, opening and closing the door quickly, and locking it behind him.

"What did you get?" Tom asked quietly, his chest still rising and falling with deep, heavy breaths.

Dougie walked back over to him, leaning up and kissing him deeply. Tom wrapped his arms around Dougie's lower back, dipping him back, and pulling his body hard against him. Dougie moved his hips back and forth slowly, rubbing his dick slowly against Tom's stomach, and in turn, causing Tom's to do the same to him. Tom pulled back, breathing heavily, and pressed his forehead against Dougie's. "I got a condom," Dougie muttered, rubbing his body against Tom's even harder.

Tom pulled back a bit and swallowed nervously. "A... a.." Dougie nodded up at him slowly, telling him he'd heard right. "Dougie..." Tom closed his eyes and placed a soft kiss on Dougie's lips. Dougie could feel Tom's body quivering, which was – strangely – a bit of a turn on for him. He pushed him back to the bed, forcing him to sit down on it. "Doug..."

Dougie kneeled down in front of him, his hands resting on Tom's thighs. "What?" he asked quietly.

"What's gonna happen?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Oh... umm..." Dougie bit down on his bottom lip, running his teeth over his lip ring. "Well... I'm gonna... umm... haven't you ever done this?" Tom shook his head slowly, an almost ashamed look taking over his face. "I'm gonna... I'm gonna fuck you..." The word barely left his mouth. He'd used it before, and suddenly it just felt so dirty, and it definitely didn't sound right.

"Is it... is it gonna hurt?" he asked, his eyes wide and innocent.

Dougie swallowed nervously but nodded his head. "At first... just trust me, you'll be okay," he reassured him.

"You promise?"

Dougie nodded again, that nervous knot working itself up in his stomach again. He stood slowly and moved between Tom's legs, placing a hand on either side of Tom's chest. He wasn't going to press in just yet – he didn't even have the condom in. Something just told him he needed one more kiss before he stole his friend's innocence. But as he moved in, something stopped him in his tracks.

"I love you."

Dougie stopped, his lips mere inches away from Tom's; his penis poised perfectly between Tom's legs. His mouth fell open and he stopped breathing. The words that had just left Tom's mouth made his heart stop beating in his chest, and the world around him seemed to stop with it.

"Dougie?"

Dougie backed up slowly, staring down at the bed sheets. "I..." Shaking his head slowly, he muttered, "I can't do this," and ran out of the room.

Tom watched him run out the door, a sick, confused feeling rising in the pit of his stomach. He could feel the world falling out from underneath him. After another moment, he heard a nearby door open, close, footsteps in the hall, then after another few seconds the front door could be heard opening and closing, and he knew he was alone, confused, and most of all, horny.


End file.
